London Fashion Week, multicultural, free and radical, celebrates its 40th anniversary

In 1984, a tent set up in a car park in Kensington, west London, hosted the first edition of British Fashion Week. Forty years later, around sixty houses, between emerging and essential talents, will present their collections across the four corners of the capital.

Designers, influencers, buyers and celebrities will meet from this Friday February 16 in London for the 40th anniversary of British Fashion Week, five days which will try to forget a gloomy economic context for young designers.

On physical or virtual catwalks, around sixty emerging talents and icons like Burberry will present their fall-winter 2024-25 collections across London, and will attempt to convey to the public the audacity and energy of this multicultural capital .

Unlike the fashion weeks of Paris and Milan, which give pride of place to renowned houses, London Fashion Week has the reputation of being a showcase for young talents, such as the Ukrainian Masha Popova or the British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker who opens the ball.

The weekend will feature familiar names like JW Anderson – whose designer Jonathan Anderson was crowned designer of the year 2023 by Vogue -, Richard Quinn, Ahluwalia and Simone Rocha, who designed the latest haute couture collection spring-summer 2024 by Jean Paul Gaultier presented in Paris in January.

Purchasing power crisis caused by inflation

It is clear, however, that this 40th edition does not open in a radiant climate for the British fashion industry: after Brexit, which penalized trade with Europe, the United Kingdom is going through a tough crisis. of purchasing power caused by inflation for almost two years, putting young houses in difficulty.

The latter are increasingly questioning the advisability of investing thousands of pounds in fashion shows, like the rising star Dilara Findikoglu who, in September 2023, shocked by announcing the cancellation of her fashion show a few days away. due date for financial reasons.

For this industry which employs nearly 900,000 people in the United Kingdom and brings 24.5 billion euros to the British economy each year according to the British Fashion Council (BFC), organizer of the event, it is a period “incredibly delicate”, recognizes its director Caroline Rush in an interview with AFP. But “What 40 years of hindsight teaches us is that it is during the most economically difficult periods that we observe the most incredible creativity”she emphasizes.

A tent in a Kensington car park

In 1984, a tent set up in the car park of the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, west London, hosted the first edition of British Fashion Week. Initially little considered, this Fashion Week became essential thanks to legendary and rebellious designers like Vivienne Westwood or John Galliano, who put the city on the fashion map, then with the “Cool Britannia” era, at the late 1990s, a moment of cultural euphoria during which Stella McCartney or Matthew Williamson dressed supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

The London week has since lost its power of attraction, with the departure of star designers and houses who now prefer to show in Paris, like Alexander McQueen or Victoria Beckham. But the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN sponsorship programme, which helps young designers get started, has affirmed London’s position as a talent laboratory. And if it remains less influential than that of Paris and Milan, the youngest of the four major Fashion Weeks continues to enjoy the reputation of being more free, radical and less formatted.

Diversity and inclusiveness

This anniversary edition also wants to be placed under the sign of greater diversity and inclusiveness, both in the bodies, age or skin color of the models, as well as in the collections of the creators, with identities or inspirations from the Caribbean. , from Iran, India or Ethiopia.

Leading figure Burberry has already started to build anticipation for the third collection from its English creative director Daniel Lee. In recent days, the Harrod’s department store has gone electric “Knightblue”, new signature color of the brand, from the doorman uniforms to the facade of the institution which is celebrating its 175th anniversary.