London Fashion Week or LFW is a clothing trade show which takes place in London twice a year, in February and September, and for the February 2020 celebreMagazine and I will be covering the event for our readers. My name is Maria Bello and I am Personal Fashion Stylist based in London. I have been attending the London Fashion Week since 2017 and from this season I will be the Fashion Correspondent for celebreMagazine.
So, before the event begins, what do we know about London Fashion Week?
LFW has been organised by the British Fashion Council (BFC) for the London Development Agency with help from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills since 1983 and such is its success that it is ranked amongst the BIG FOUR fashion weeks, New York, London, Milan and Paris. For decades London has been considered a fashion capital being a city which has a major influence on dictating fashion trends worldwide, and the fashion week itself is attended every season by over five thousand people, between press, buyers and stylists.
The fashion-focused events take place at the British Fashion Council’s own space at 180 Strand or other equally fashionable locations all around central London, generating a considerable economic output not only for the fashion industry but for the whole city. Always ahead of time, in 2010 London Fashion Week was the only one of the Big Four to let its designers showcase their catwalk in live streaming on the internet and in September 2019 there were also a few shows, on Saturday and the Sunday, which were open to the general public for a hefty ticket price.
The decision of the BFC to open the event to the general public provoked much controversy among those working in the fashion industry. As you can well imagine, invitations to the catwalk shows, presentations and the after-show parties are pretty hard to obtain unless you work in the industry but opening some shows to the public must have proved to be a smart financial move as it will be repeated this coming February (it will take place from Friday the 13th to Tuesday the 18th) with Temperly London having their public catwalks on the Saturday 15th and De La Valli on Sunday 16th, and with the BFC planning on catering for the public for the foreseeable future.
Last but not least, being such an important Fashion Capital, London could not have been missing the men’s collections and since 2012, on a much smaller and less flamboyant scale, London Fashion Week Men’s takes place twice a year, in January and June at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, in East London.
So, what can we expect from London Fashion Week 2020?
First of all, an official schedule of over 80 between catwalks and presentations, culmination on Tuesday the 18th with The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The award, handed by a member of the Royal Family on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, recognizes an emerging designer who shows exceptional talent and demonstrates strong sustainable policies and/or community engagement, and has seen amongst its receivers Richard Quinn and Bethany Williams.
Big names will be showcasing this season from Burberry, Victoria Beckham, Roksanda, Paul Costello, to name a few, and with the anticipated return of the French fashion house Maison Margiela and the American fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger. Designers less known to the general public will also be showing their latest creations on the catwalk of the BFC Show Space, with the Chinese and Korean designer to be amongst my personal favourites and whose collections, at times, hold a bigger WOW, factor than the better-known designers. You can expect the front rows to be filled with celebrities, influencers, top models and one may even end up rubbing shoulders with none other than Anna Wintour herself… I know has happened to me!
The invitations are coming in, my outfits are ready and I am looking forward to taking you all on this London Fashion Week ride along with me!
Article edited by Maria Bello