While September is usually known for marking the start of fashion month, this year a more sombre mood gripped the UK’s fashion capital in the wake of the death of Her Majesty the Queen. Many of the shows at London Fashion Week were significantly scaled back or cancelled altogether out of respect for the late monarch, leading the British Fashion Council to launch a new week-long initiative, this October, to champion the city’s creative spirit.
From Thursday 6 to Thursday 13 October 2022, London will come alive with an exciting curated programme of events and experiences for A Celebration of London Fashion Week, all spearheaded by inclusivity and consciousness. Earlier in the month, Richard Quinn closed London Fashion Week with a solemn all-black show that paid tribute to the Queen, who he credits with his meteoric rise to fame after she sat front row at his 2018 show. Fittingly, Quinn will be hosting a celebration of his 2023 collection in partnership with Clearpay as part of the newly announced programme.
Richard Quinn SS22
Elsewhere, Raf Simons will make his long-awaited LFW debut to present his latest collection on 13 October, after cancelling his original show in September out of respect for the late monarch, alongside Roksanda on 11 October, whose show also had to be postponed due the fact that it was scheduled to take place in a Royal Park. Now that the official mourning period for the Queen is over, the capital is ready to resume its focus on the designers that give the city its trailblazing creativity.
“London is an international fashion capital, and the industry is playing a vital role in our economic recovery,” says Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. “The return of city-wide celebrations is a fantastic opportunity for people from all backgrounds to experience this dynamic industry that contributes so much to London’s economy.”
Roksanda AW22
There’s much to celebrate, whether it’s the incredible new rising stars that make up this year’s BFC Newgen cohort – which includes Ahluwalia, Nensi Dojaka and Bethany Williams – or the fact that Marc Jacobs is returning to London with a new flagship boutique on Regent Street, the brand’s largest outside of the US. On 13 October, Prada will be hosting the global launch party for its new fragrance, Paradoxe, which Emma Watson is the face of, while legendary singer Björk will be feted with a special evening hosted by AnOther Magazine and Gucci.
As part of London’s City Wide Celebration, the capital will also be hosting over 450 events throughout its boroughs, with a key focus on sustainability, upcycling and zero-waste craftsmanship. Highlights include ‘Stitch It Don’t Ditch It’ workshops at Brora on 7 October, a panel discussion tackling the question ‘how does fashion get the next 10 years right?’ at Fenwick on 10 October with Aja Barber, Phoebe English and Kitri founder Haeni Kim, and the ‘Designers at Work’ market at the Saatchi Gallery on 8 October, showcasing sustainable activations from local businesses including Rixo, Monica Vinader and Allbirds.
“The incredible resilience and solidarity of our creative industries was spotlighted during Fashion Week, and we now look forward to celebrating our city during the exciting month of October,” says Caroline Rush, Chief Executive British Fashion Council. “Our aim is to engage communities throughout London to get involved with fashion and to showcase the creativity, diversity and openness London is known for. This season will see a fantastic lineup of city-wide events and experiences on schedule driving footfall back into the capital.”
‘A Celebration of London Fashion Week’ will be taking place across London from 6 – 13 October 2022
londonfashionweek.co.uk
