LONDON — Designers taking part in London Fashion Week have been forced to make last-minute adjustments to their spring 2023 show schedule given the period of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the funeral, which will take place on Monday.
Royal Warrant holder Burberry was forced to cancel its show on Saturday and set a new date: September 26 at noon. The show will take place in London after the Milan collections end and Paris begins. Burberry said on Monday it would confirm the location in due course.
Following the queen’s death last Thursday, the British government has urged businesses not to cancel business events during the mourning period, with the exception of Monday, which has been declared a national holiday.
More than a million people are expected to travel to London to pay their respects to the queen, who will remain in Westminster Hall from Wednesday until the funeral at 11am on Monday.
Transport for London has said services will be “very busy” and passengers are urged to “allow plenty of extra time for their journeys and avoid driving where possible”, while Downing Street warned on Monday that commuters may wanting to “change their work patterns accordingly”. ”
London Fashion Week was originally scheduled for Friday at 8pm, and will go ahead every day with the exception of Monday, when there will be no shows or events.
The British Fashion Council, which organizes the week, has also asked designers and brands to refrain from parties or the usual celebration events that mark the week.
The organization wants to preserve what has become an important marketing moment for designers, whose businesses were damaged during the two-year COVID-19 lockdown.
Instead, the BFC is planning a celebration in honor of London Fashion Week “with a focus on London as creative capital” in October, which will include city-wide parties and store activations.
Most of Monday’s events have been moved to September 20, which originally had just two shows: South Korean fashion label Bmuet(te) and Canadian-Chinese designer Susan Fang, a finalist for the LVMH Prize.
Richard Quinn, the inaugural winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, has moved his show from Sunday night to September 20 at 7pm, to close London Fashion Week.
Quinn is understood to be paying tribute to the monarch, who launched her fashion career when she sat in her front row and presented him with the award in 2018. It was her first visit to London Fashion Week.
Over the weekend, American fashion designer Harris Reed spoke about why fashion week should go ahead.
He said his fellow young designers “have put their entire brand budgets into their shows to drive sales and brand awareness,” with the ultimate goal of building their businesses, rather than having to close or restructure them. It is so important now more than ever to support and be there for small brands at London Fashion Week,” she said.
London-based Greek fashion designer Eftychia Karamolegkou, who was supposed to present her spring 2023 collection next Monday morning, confessed that for emerging brands like hers, not doing a show is simply “not affordable”.
“I don’t have advertisements in magazines. I can’t spend millions on a campaign, and my only impactful visibility is this program. Canceling a show that has been planned and prepared in advance and includes a team of people is like burning tickets just for fun. I prefer to use these bills in a more sustainable way,” she added.
American-Chinese designer Chet Lo was due to make his solo runway debut on September 19 after graduating from Fashion East. He also argued that “canceling a show we’ve spent months and money on is not an option.”
“Of course, this is an important moment in UK history that will change a lot about what it means to be British, but for an emerging designer making a living in London, it’s a tricky situation. For us, fashion week is a great source of income,” he added.
Romanian-born, London-based Ancuța Sarca, founder of the footwear brand that bears her name, said she was looking forward to her first real-life performance in three years, which was moved from Monday to Sunday.
“We have been working tirelessly for the last few months. I hope the international press and buyers attending London Fashion Week will consider supporting us by showing up, as UK coverage has been held up until after the show,” he added.
On Monday afternoon, the BFC published an updated calendar after speaking with designers, brands and members of the British fashion press.
He also outlined a list of plans, including a moment of silence at the start of the exhibit, a memorial wall where people can write tributes to the queen, and a new set of guidelines.
The BFC has urged “the international fashion community to attend London Fashion Week and continue to support the designers and the extraordinarily hard work they have put into these presentations and collections.”
Here’s everything you need to know about how London Fashion Week has been affected by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, having her shows canceled, moving to a new show space and going ahead as planned. .
Models walk the runway at the Nensi Dojaka Fall 2022 show during London Fashion Week.
Dave Bennett/Getty Images
new slots
Eftychia: Greek fashion designer Eftychia Karamolegkou has moved her hours from Mondays at 10am to September 20, concurrently with the Newgen catwalk space at the Old Selfridges Hotel.
Chopova Lowena: Designer duo Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena will move their London Fashion Week catwalk debut from Monday to Friday night, taking Raf Simons’ original spot at 8 p.m. Simons, as reported, no longer will be presented in London this season.
Ancuţa Sarca: The brand moves its presentation schedule to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
To pronounce: The Shanghai and Milan-based label, founded by Yushan Li and Jun Zhou, changed its showtime from 1:00 p.m. on Monday to 4:00 p.m. on September 20.
Sinead O’Dwyer: His schedule was moved from 2 pm on Monday to the same time on September 20.
Christopher Kane: The Scottish fashion designer has moved his spring 2023 show from 3pm on Monday to 8pm on Sunday.
Dilara Findikoglu: It has moved its hours from 5:00 pm on Monday to 2:00 pm on Friday.
Check Lo: The Chinese-American designer has moved his solo runway debut after graduating from Fashion Week from Monday to September 20 at 6 p.m.
Emily Wickstead: The London designer has moved her presentation from Monday at 10:30 to 12:30 on September 20.
Paul and Joe: The brand has moved its show from 7pm Monday to 1pm Saturday, Burberry’s original showtime. Royal Warrant holder Burberry has postponed its show.
Helen Antony: The mark has passed from 8:00 p.m. on Monday to 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
Roksanda: The brand is still looking at options for its spring 2023 show. The brand’s original time slot was noon on Monday.
susana fang: The Chinese-Canadian designer previewed her debut venue on the London catwalk on September 20 from 2-1 p.m. The LVMH Prize shortlisted designer will take over the Marshall Street pool in central London to present her spring 2023 collection .
Richard Quinn: The inaugural winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design has moved his show from Sunday night to September 20 at 7pm, to close London Fashion Week.
A model walks the runway at the Burberry Fall 2022 show in London.
fake images
Cancelled
Burberry: As a Royal Warrant holder, or official supplier to the royal family, the brand has canceled its spring 2023 fashion show, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Rafael Simon: The Belgian designer was due to make his London debut and show his spring 2023 collection on Friday night, but has decided to pull out of London Fashion Week. The brand has yet to reveal its next step.
Robert Einer: The Estonian fashion designer has decided to cancel her spring 2023 show. Instead, Einer will launch the spring 2023 collection with a catalogue. The brand will continue to showcase the collection during Paris Fashion Week for wholesale buyers and media appointments.
Patrick McDowell: His scheduled show at the Jimmy Choo Academy on Monday has been postponed. While an alternate date is still being decided, a press preview of his upcoming collection will take place this Thursday and Friday at the Jimmy Choo Academy.
Say Petsa: The brand has canceled its presentation on Monday. A digital catalog will be revealed on September 20.
Kaushik Velendra: The Indian menswear designer on Brook Street has decided to postpone his pre-Diwali party on Friday night.
Edeline Lee: The designer was supposed to show off her new collection via a presentation on Monday between 12:30 and 2:30 pm, but will instead make appointments and hold a live show in February.
Purdy: The high-end British brand specializing in field sports, and owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont, has postponed its spring 2023 preview originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Pariah Corporation: The brand founded by Ivan Zinko, son of fashion designer Natasha Zinko, has postponed its presentation for September 20.
Prada Beauty: The Milanese brand has canceled the launch of the Prada Paradoxe fragrance on Thursday night. The rescheduling of the date will be confirmed soon.
Backstage at Erdem Fall 2022 on February 21, 2022 in London.
Kuba Dabrowski for WWD
Source: wwd.com