Your London Fashion Week guide
The highlight of London's fashion calendar returns to the capital in September 2021, and it's open to the public
The pandemic meant that the last two seasons were digital-focussed, with brands producing look books, short films and talks in lieu of a traditional catwalk show or static presentation.
An interesting experiment - and a necessary one given the situation - the format suited some better than others, and the news that LFW is set to return in person this September will be a relief for many.
Burberry S/S21 finale, February 2021
Running from 17-21 September, the official LFW S/S22 hybrid schedule boasts both physical events and a digital platform, with many brands appearing across both.
While in-person events are invitation-only and reserved for key players within the industry, even those not on the official digital schedule are all but guaranteed to be broadcast far and wide across brands’ social media and websites and even the official British Fashion Council (BFC) YouTube channel meaning you can tune in to the latest trends from virtually anywhere.
Interestingly, TikTok is now the principal sponsor of the NewGen talent scheme (a position held by Topshop for well over a decade) and will host a show space, highlighting just how important the burgeoning social media platform has become in the fashion realm, especially for younger designers. Expect plenty of easy-to-digest snippets from the shows and backstage to be landing throughout LFW.
PUMA x Liberty
The LFW line-up this season might be missing some of the city’s big hitters, such as Burberry and Victoria Beckham, but there are still plenty of show-stopping moments guaranteed thanks to the presence of Molly Goddard, Rejina Pyo, RIXO, Halpern, Phoebe English, Simone Rocha, Supriya Lele and Erdem. Digital-only highlights include J.W. Anderson, Vivienne Westwood and Marques’Almeida.
LFW is first and foremost an essential event for the business of fashion, with orders of over £100m placed each season, according to pre-pandemic estimates from the BFC.
But the impact of LFW on the city goes far beyond order books and balance sheets and the BFC together with the Mayor of London is tapping into the energy the event brings in order to welcome the public into the fashion fold.
Rixo
The ‘City-Wide Celebration’ is a roster of events, discounts and gifts with purchase that will bring the buzz of fashion week out of invite-only venues and onto the city streets. There are over 100 events and offers as part of the line-up, with retailers, restaurants, cultural institutions and neighbourhoods getting involved.
Some of the highlights include:
The Anya Fruit & Veg Store (pictured), a takeover at the heart of the Anya Village in Chelsea with the most fashionable way to get your five a day. Expect collectible stickers, limited eition lifestyle merchandise and fruit carving workshops plus piercings on the lemons and knickers on the peaches.
Artisans from the Paris atelier of Christian Dior (pictured) will be ensconced in the New Bond Street flagship to showcase the craftsmanship behind house icons including the Lady Dior bag, Bar Jacket as well as Haute Couture and Demi Measure suit tailoring on 15-17 September.
JW Anderson will be giving a limited number of his ‘show in a box’ concept (Instagram gold usually reserved for influencers and editors only) away with purchases from his Soho store during LFW.
A Phoebe English installation at the British Library will be open to the public until 24 September, where the designer will display research and development into regenerative design from the past year and document how it has evolved into the new collection.
Mulberry x Richard Malone
The launch of Levi's® by Levi's® x Central Saint Martins capsule, in which three MA students have raided the denim giants’ deadstock archive to reimagine some of the brands’ iconic pieces.
Responsible design pioneer RAEBURN will be hosting studio tours looking at the experiential retail space, brand archive and atelier in Hackney. Tours cost £5, with proceeds supporting Off Centre, a local charity.
Browns East will be hosting a celebration of Fashion East past, present and future featuring collections from talent scouting forum alumni including Wales Bonner, Simone Rocha and Charles Jeffrey. There will also be a 44-piece exhibition ‘Honey Wagon’ by visual artist Babak Ganjei in the Gallery.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Mulberry (pictured) has tasked LFW designer Richard Malone with reinterpreting some of the bag brand’s most loved and recognisable designs as part of Mulberry Editions. Discover Mulberry x Richard Malone at the Regent Street flagship with refreshments and exclusive gifts with all purchases of the collaboration.
The Anya Fruit & Veg Store
COS (pictured) will be debuting its autumn/winter 21 collection with an LFW catwalk show on Tuesday 21 September, live-streamed at its Regent Street flagship, where customers can enjoy a glass of champagne while they shop the new collection.
On Saturday 18 September PUMA will launch its new collab with Liberty in a pop-up space within the famed department store, all customers purchasing a piece from the PUMA x Liberty (pictured) collection will receive a bouquet of flowers.
Christian Dior craftsmanship
In addition, the neighbourhoods of Chelsea, Mayfair and Belgravia will be getting in on the action with various large scale projects including:
Floral festival Belgravia in Bloom (20-26 September) showcasing flower installations, visitor experiences and even virtual reality fairground-themed games.
In Chelsea, fashion illustrators will capture complimentary portraits for shoppers, while ‘Chelsea in Bloom’ will transform the area into a riot of floral displays inspired by the theme of ‘Extraordinary Voyages.’
Throughout September Mayfair will be hosting a month-long celebration of fashion with events and experiences, including the return of the Mount Street Virtual Concierge where shoppers can discover the boutique-lined destination in person or online with the help of Mayfair’s resident style consultant Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey.
For full details on LFW and the City-Wide Celebration, visit the LFW website here
