Colourful start to London Fashion Week as Brexit worries pervade

London Fashion Week kicked off five days of
catwalk shows on Friday with a splash of colour, as fears of Brexit — now
looming large on the horizon — look set to dominate.

The fashion world descends on the British capital just weeks before Britain
is due to leave the European Union, with anxiety over the diplomatic upheaval
prompting some showcasers to strive for an upbeat tone.

Turkish desginer Bora Aksu, who unveiled his latest collection Friday, told
AFP he had deliberately deployed pastel shades and an “optimistic colour
palette” to lighten the heavy mood currently pervading London.

“I try to bring some hope into the winter collection,” the London-based
designer said, noting the long shadow cast by Brexit which he had tried to
swamp with plenty of white, beige, lilac, mint green and peach pink on show.

“I think we need… more colours in life generally and more hope.”
The first two days of more than 80 catwalk shows will feature a raft of
young talents including Matty Bovan, Ashley Williams, Molly Goddard, Simone
Rocha and from the model, designer and TV presenter Alexa Chung.

Meanwhile four of Britain’s leading designers — Roksanda, J.W. Anderson,
Christopher Kane and David Koma — are to reveal their new collections on
Monday.

Italian designer Riccardo Tisci, formerly of Givenchy, will also be showing
off his second Burberry collection.

He took over from Christopher Bailey in March 2018 with the mission of
giving the venerable company a new lease on life.

The British institution, founded in 1856, reported mixed sales at the end
of last year compared with those achieved in recent years, and hopes its
women’s autumn-winter 2019-20 collection will kick-start the engine.

The designer declared his ambitions in Vogue, saying he wanted to “sustain
the Burberry heritage” but “go with the times, with modernity”.

Tisci’s show takes place on Sunday, February 17 at 1700 GMT.

Public access

London Fashion Week will get also get a first glimpse of Victoria Beckham’s
new collection on Sunday.

Beckham’s chic and sober designs are more used to gracing the New York
catwalks, but she celebrated her brand’s tenth anniversary last year by
presenting in London for the first time.

The former Spice Girl, now a respected designer, is still sailing in
troubled financial waters however, having recorded losses of up to £10.3
million (13.3 million USD, EUR11.7 million) for the year 2017.

Sunday will also feature Vivienne Westwood and Pam Hogg, two icons of
British punk-rock culture, as well as Frenchman Roland Mouret, known for his
mastery of sensual designs, and Fashion East, Lulu Kennedy’s talent-incubator
label.

This year will be the first time that members of the public will be able to
attend the event, which is usually reserved for buyers, journalists and VIPs.

The “London Fashion Week: Insiders” project will release a limited number
of tickets, ranging in price from 135 to 245 GBP.

Brexit ‘dreaded’

The increasing importance of the week reflects Britain’s booming fashion
industry, with revenues for women’s ready-to-wear rising by 5.5 percent to
30.9 billion GBP in 2018, according to market analyst group Mintel.

However, uncertainty surrounding the country’s departure from the EU is
worrying those in the industry, who do not appear to share Brexiteers’
predictions of a so-called “Brexit dividend” in global trade.

According to a survey conducted by consulting firm Fashion Roundatable, 96
percent of industry professionals in Britain say they voted to stay in the
European Union in 2016.

“Since that referendum the British fashion industry has asked for continued
access to talent, tariff-free trade, frictionless borders,” said Caroline
Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, noting it had been
frustrated by the response.

She added Brexit remains “dreaded” by the industry, especially as the March
29 exit date nears with no-deal looking increasingly likely.

“We will further develop our international outreach and reinforce the
reputation of the UK as one that is open, global, innovative and welcoming,”
Rush said.(AFP)

Photos: Burberry AW19, Catwalkpictures.com