London Fashion Week has survived ‘The Mysterious Case of the Clashing Schedules.’
Just last month, it appeared hope was lost. Conspiracy theories were suggested. London Fashion Week was painted as the doomed filling in a ‘doorstep-sized sandwich’, surrounded by the encircling forces of the rival fashion weeks in New York, Milan and Paris. There was talk of LFW being reduced to a three-day or four-day event. Was it to be squeezed out altogether?
It now appears the flagship for our multi-billion pound fashion, clothing and textiles industry has found an acceptable, if not totally triumphant solution.
The next London Fashion Week, for autumn/winter 2009/10, will be held from Friday, February 20th to Tuesday, February 24th - a total of five days.
True, there will be a one-day overlap with New York Fashion Week, which kicks off the international catwalk schedule. But this is not expected to unduly harm LFW since many of the major American stores are represented by London-based buying agencies and the UK fashion editors who do cover fashion week in the Big Apple will be happy to fly the flag and get back home in time for LFW’s opening day.
Apart from ushering in a new season, February’s LFW will also mark the start of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of an event which, from modest beginnings, has grown to a major financial money-spinner, bringing £20 million to the London economy per season in direct spend and generating orders worth in excess of £100million.
Over the years, LFW has become famous as a platform for some of the most directional fashion talents in the world. Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Matthew Williamson, Gareth Pugh, Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll and Marios Schwab are just a few of the now globally-renowned names who have made their catwalk debuts at London Fashion Week.
One of the most high-profile events in the UK, London Fashion Week is organised by the British Fashion Council and funded by sponsors including Canon UK, which has been headline sponsor for six consecutive seasons.
The British Fashion Awards gala, sponsored by Swarovski, will be held in London on November 25th. Among the highlights of the evening will be the announcement of the winner of the Designer of the Year ‘Fashion Oscar’ and the presentation of the British Fashion Council’s Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design.
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