London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year. The trading show showcases over two hundred and fifty designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers and it is one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks along with the New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.

Organised by the British Fashion Council for the London Development Agency with help from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills London Fashion Week first took place in February 1984. It currently ranks alongside New York, Paris and Milan as one of the 'Big Four' fashion weeks. 

Per British Fashion Council: "It generates in excess of £160million in media coverage each season and over £100million of orders is placed during the event. The UK fashion industry employs almost 800,000 people and contributes £26billion to the UK economy each year."

The first London Fashion Week featured fifteen catwalk shows presented in the Commonwealth Institute's car park in Kensington. Among the designers showing were Vivienne Westwood, David Fielden, Ghost and Betty Jackson. Also taking part was Central Saint Martins graduate John Galliano who presented his graduate collection ‘Les Incroyables’ inspired by the French Revolution. The entire collection was bought by Joan Burstein - owner of fashion boutique ‘Browns’.

After only one year, London Fashion Week had launched one of British fashion’s most important modern designers. It is now presented as a trade event that also attracts significant press attention and benefits taxpayers. Over five thousand press and buyers, with orders of an estimated £100  million. A retail-focused event, London Fashion Week Festival takes place immediately afterward at the same venue and is open to the general public.

On-schedule events used to take place either at the British Fashion Council's own show space, 180 Strand, or at external locations around central London. "Off-schedule" events, such as Vauxhall Fashion Scout and On|Off at other venues in central London, add to the event. 

London Fashion Week has given designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and the more recent talents of Christopher Kane, Simone Rocha and Jonathan Anderson their debuts. Today, fashion bloggers compete with traditional journalists to spot the next big thing coming out of fashion’s most cutting edge capital. Following increasing numbers of anti-fur protesters, the London Fashion Week held in September 2018 was the first major fashion week to be fur-free.

The London Fashion Week digital platform is freely accessible to industry professionals and global fashion consumers alike, showcasing digital content from the designers, enabling collaboration and bringing together fashion, culture and technology. The LFW digital platform is a year-round platform and is constantly updated for retailers, media and consumers to view and buy collections. The platform will continue to serve as the Official Digital Hub and will be freely accessible to everyone, industry professionals and global fashion consumers alike, enabling collaboration and bringing together fashion, culture and technology.

This season London Fashion Week will take place from 16th - 20th February 2024 as it celebrates the event's 40th anniversary, showcasing both menswear and womenswear, as a hybrid digital and physical event.

London Fashion Week SS24 marks the beginning of a transition period which will see the British Fashion Council reposition itself towards local talent in an attempt to amplify the UK’s own industry. Moreover the UK government will support the event as part of its Creative Industries package, with the organisation to receive an estimated two million pounds in funding, acknowledging the region’s “excellence in holding international showcase events”. The package will support the fashion week from 2023 to 2025, enabling the British Fashion Council to amplify the work of the British fashion industry.

London Fashion Week is envisioned as an apparel trade show that takes place in London twice a year- in February and September. The show showcases over two hundred and fifty fashion designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers and is one of the Big Four fashion weeks astride New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.

What's more London Fashion Week has led the way in digital innovation in comparison to New York, Paris and Milan. London was the first fashion week to live stream catwalk shows to a global audience and in 2010 launched a dedicated Digital Schedule. 

Over 5,000 visitors from over 60 countries attend London Fashion Week including buyers, journalists, bloggers, broadcast crews and photographers. The British Fashion Council’s International Guest Programme enables the most influential and relevant buyers and press to visit London. It is estimated that this programme alone generates over £65million of orders while media coverage from the International Guest Programme journalists exceeds £120million.