The changing format of London Fashion Week

London – 1984 was the year London Fashion Week was born. An initiative of the
British Fashion Council, it brought together disparate exhibitions and
designers to collectively show on one platform. Back then it was Betty
Jackson, Ghost and emerging talent John Galliano that stole the show.
Vivienne Westwood had decamped to Paris, but she returned in 1987.

It was in the late nineties that I attended my first runway at LFW. I don’t
recall if it was Spanish designer Amaya Arzuaga, Elspeth Gibson, Alexander
McQueen or Mathew Williamson, but there was a sense of excitement back
then, those palpable moments of when you are immersed in something
undefinably unique, but can’t quite formulate why.

I remember queueing in the cold for what seemed hours in a former bus depot
in South London, waiting for the Alexander McQueen show to start. Or that
time that Prince jumped on stage at the finale of a Matthew Williamson
show, treating the audience to an unforgettable set of his funk.

In hindsight there were many defining moments that marked the importance of
LFW in those days, and it wasn’t the financials that defined its relevance.
The launch of Fashion Fringe in 2004, a leading initiative for discovering
emerging talent. Or the previous year when the pioneer of sustainable
fashion, Katharine Hamnett, returned to LFW, this time protesting in her
famous graphic tees to vote Prime Minister Blair out. Or Luella Bartley’s
debut in 1999 called “Daddy, I Want a Pony.” I remember the after party,
somewhere un-fancy in Shoreditch back when Shoreditch was still a melting
pot of young creatives, thugs, and exciting sinister happenings.

Showcasing creativity without cash

Much of LFW remains a blur, too. The free-flowing champagne, the decadence
and the ability of unrestrained creativity to be brought to audiences
without the million dollar productions of New York, Paris and Milan. Back
when a young designer could tell a story without needing an unfathomable
amount of cash to tell a fashion story.

London revelled in its importance as a fashion city. The first
live-streamed show was that of McQueen, from one of his most revolutionary
and mesmerising works, and the last before his death. The production was an
underwater world with models half bionic half human. In collaboration with
photographer Nick Knight and ShowStudio, the show was broadcast to a live
audience around the world, the first time in fashion history.

Fashion, as a feeling, has changed

The sense that LFW today is making history is no longer the narrative. But
neither are any of the Big Four fashion weeks. The format, as much as the
feeling, has changed. Perhaps it is because the fashion show itself has
become ubiquitous. For many fashion week is a challenging treadmill to
conquer each season. Others say it is reminiscent of an industry spiralling
out of control, with more and more brands to see, but with less and less
wow factor.

It is easy to lay the nostalgia on thick. To reminisce about the greatness
of LFW “back in the day.” British fashion and creativity have en economic
output that must be safeguarded, invested in and nurtured, as much as
celebrated. Even if the defining moments to come are likely to be lost in
an Instagram feed.

The future of fashion

Back in 2009, the BFC released a report about the future of fashion and
strategic considerations needed for growth. The aim was for new talent to
not only showcased, but supported in its transition to business
sustainability and at helping good ideas translate into commercial success.
This consideration is more relevant than ever, with the view of Brexit
unclear where retailers, brands and designers stand in the coming years.

The BFC urged the government to ensure that the whole industry can improve
its resilience in a highly competitive environment and take advantage of
opportunities available. Fast forward a decade and the need has only become
greater.

The need for innovation is greater than ever, as is the need to make
fashion week all inclusive and consumer-focused. It is no longer feasible
to keep the catwalk formula as a buyer and press only event. Consumers are
shaping the industry at a fast rate than brands. An article in Bloomberg on
Wednesday cites the death of apparel. Let’s not make it the death of
fashion week.