It’s now a year since the last ‘normal’ London Fashion Week, when fashion editors, buyers, bloggers and celebs descended on the capital for five days of live catwalk shows.
After the first national lockdown began in March 2020, the biggest event in the British fashion calendar was forced online, and now the autumn/winter 2021 edition, taking place February 19-23, will be a virtual affair once more.
So what’s on the cards this season? Here’s what to expect from London Fashion Week AW21…
Big name brands
The official London Fashion Week schedule will play host to 95 designers, both menswear and womenswear, with videos on the Digital Hub displaying their forthcoming collections.
While a number of major brands were missing from the schedule last season, for autumn there’s a decent showing (although shows are subject to change), with Victoria Beckham, Preen, Osman, Roksanda and Simone Rocha taking part, as well as royal favourites Emilia Wickstead, Stephen Jones and Temperley.
Richard Quinn – known for his spectacular catwalk shows and incredible, avant-garde designs – looks set to be the final big name designer to unveil his collection.
Emerging designers
London is known for being a hotbed of emerging fashion talent and throughout the pandemic the British Fashion Council has continued its commitment to helping young designers develop.
There will be more than 20 designers debuting for AW21, with the Tokyo Fashion Award bringing six Japanese designers to the London schedule for the first time, and the DiscoveryLAB hosting daily 10-minute digital sessions featuring designers who don’t yet meet the main schedule criteria.
Who are the ones to watch this season? It may not be their first time at the rodeo, but we’re looking forward to seeing what’s in store from London wunderkinds Matty Bovan, ART SCHOOL and Bethany Williams.
Behind the scenes
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The Designer Diaries series will offer a glimpse of what it takes to create a fashion collection, from inspiration to unveiling, and what it’s been like for brands during the pandemic.
This season 10 designers will feature in the series, including E. Tautz, Spencer Badu and palmer//harding. You can watch the videos on YouTube.
Backstage beauty
Long time LFW partner Toni & Guy returns for autumn/winter, providing hair teams for DiscoveryLAB designers.
The hair brand will also showcase autumn/winter hair trends with daily videos created by session stylists.
