Stay-at-home orders for a large proportion of the global population has forced the brands, organizations and institutions of the world of fashion to take radical steps, notably with regard to runway shows. The British Fashion Council has ushered in major change with the announcement, on Tuesday, April 21, of the effective end of the British capital's fashion week exclusively devoted to menswear. Men's and women's fashions will now be showcased at the same time. The first combined fashion week, which will be wholly digital, is to go ahead in June.
What format will be adopted for forthcoming fashion weeks? How do designers and brands intend to present their future collections? Will fashion shows be open to the public? The biggest institutions in the world of fashion are seeking solutions to these questions, now that the men's and haute couture fashion shows that were scheduled for June and July have been canceled in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The British Fashion Council has provided some answers with the announcement that binary shows will no longer be held in the British capital, which will effectively put an end to London Fashion Week Men's. From now on, there will be one "genderless" platform to allow designers to present their collections and brand identities at a combined London Fashion Week.
The change will come into effect this June on dates that were initially planned for London Week Men's (from June 12 - 14) with -- in line with social distancing measures -- a 100% digital showcase. Following its launch, Londonfashionweek.co.uk will be open to both the professionals and the public from all over the world. The new platform will feature multimedia content by designers, creative artists and brand partners in the form of interviews, podcasts, designers' notes, webinars and digital showrooms.
With the new format, the British Fashion Council is hoping to enable brands and designers to sell their existing collections to the public, and collections for seasons to come to retailers.
As it stands, the names of the designers participating in this first session have yet to be disclosed. However, the schedule is expected to be busier than usual now that it involves both women's and men's clothing. It also remains to be seen whether the new format will also be embraced by New York, Milan and Paris, which have yet to communicate on their plans.
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