London Fashion Week ends with Burberry presenting its Autumn/Winter collection down the catwalk on Monday, finishing a rather subdued event in the damp British metropolis.
While a slimmed-down program with several absentees raises questions about London Fashion Week’s viability, brands struggle with a diminished taste for luxury goods worldwide.
Still, there was room for spectacle: from glass hats created by master milliner Stephen Jones to startling silhouettes in designer Harris Reed’s opening exhibition. One of the trends observed on the catwalks was the 1980s bubble skirt in several variations
Irish designer Sinead O’Dwyer set intended to show all women, regardless of age and body shape, can be sexy. Many compilations had as their recurring topic variety.
Burrberry
Hopeful fashionistas have been waiting for the biggest name of the week, British mega house Burberry, which displays its collection at 1900 GMT at Tate Britain Museum.
Rumors regarding the leaving of the fashion behemoth known for its trench coats and trademark tartan print center on its challenging times
Arriving somewhat more than two years ago, Daniel Lee has worked to update the British mega-house.
Media sources indicate English designer Kim Jones, who left Dior Men at the end of January after seven years, might replace Lee.
Having months of financial trouble, Burberry started a “emergency” refocusing on its signature designs, including the well-known trench coat late last year in an attempt to prevent declining sales. Under sluggish demand in China, last month it revealed a further drop in sales; nevertheless, the ailing group was exhibiting indications of recovery under new leadership, and the drop was smaller than expected.
Falling behind Several fashion experts stated London Fashion Week was lagging behind Paris and New York year, despite the presence of well-known designers like Simone Rocha and Richard Quinn and aspirational stylists like SS Daley and Harris Reed.
Daley told The Guardian newspaper before his presentation, “There is a bit of a damp spirit, an empty feeling, to the London schedule at the moment.”
Director of the British Fashion Council, which hosts London Fashion Week, Caroline Rush said it was “a particularly challenging time” for British manufacturers.
After the epidemic, brands have suffered multiple blows including Brexit and last year’s closing of the worldwide luxury online marketplace Matches Fashion.
With many designers choosing a dinner or presentation rather than a more expensive runway display, this year’s event is almost a day shorter than last Autumn-Winter 2024 fashion week.
While Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was also absent with his company JW Anderson, buyers and influencers such Beka Gvishiani of Style Not Com, an Instagram account charting fashion news, did not make the trip.
Organizing her last London Fashion Week, Rush stated London Fashion Week is still “so relevant because… we have so many small independent businesses, they need a platform to be able to show to reach global audiences.”
