Top photo is the Serpentine pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery in London, the LFW reception location. Photo © Nic Ford via LFW
London Fashion Week ( LFW ) is once again set to captivate enthusiasts as it started this week on the 12th and lasts until the 17th September 2024. This year marks a monumental milestone as LFW celebrates its 40th anniversary. London Fashion Week, launched by the British Fashion Council ( BFC ) in the year 1984 at the Olympia centre, celebrates London as a world leading fashion capital and London's cultural impact. Delivering a celebration of London as a capital of culture, tells the story about the impact of LFW globally and at the same time highlights the UK as a global creative powerhouse.
Photo of 180 The Strand building in London during the London Fashion Week. Photo © Philafrenzy1 via Wikimedia Commons
LFW in the 180 STRAND Brutalist Building
The mark of the 40th London Fashion Week is returning to the prestigious venue of 180 Strand building in London. The 180 Strand was built in the brutalist style in the 1970's to embrace modernist ideas and is surrounded with the historic London buildings, while the building was recently renovated and is used for art installations, exhibitions and fashion shows. The 180 Strand which showcased many international fashion houses, will house the LFW40 retrospective showing a journey from the event's beginnings at the Olympia exhibition centre in London to the present day, and for those who are keen on books will be a bookstore with over 150 rare books focused on fashion, culture and creativity.
City – Wide Events
As part of the 40th anniversary, the LFW will have an expanded version of city – wide events throughout the British capital called the City Wide Celebration and activities of events in Manchester and Newcastle, as a celebration of the very best of British city culture.
The programme of LFW is divided into City Wide Celebration, Institute of Positive Fashion, then Fashion Awards. LFW hosted the 4th annual Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) Forum in April 2024, with themes on circularity, decarbonisation and people, with the goal to accelerate industry change and decarbonise their supply chain.
Photo of the Institute of Positive Fashion Forum. Photo © Eeva Rinne via LFW
Physical And Online Events
Held semi - annually at diverse locations each year, the event commissions and celebrates some of the world's renowned fashion designers and houses such as Burberry and emerging young designers.
This year's LFW will present 72 designers and 48 shows. To celebrate its 40th year, the event features a programme of on - site fashion shows and digital online programme, allowing to spread the cultural impact internationally. In the age of digital transformation and global connectivity, there are 17 digital events including the leading British design house Burberry with physical show and digital view, which will all be available to view on the official Digital Hub and for more info have a look at this page.
Further it is stated by the LFW and BFC Chair / CEO at this page : " For businesses at all stages to prepare for positive change through embracing innovation. British fashion can be a catalyst of change in core commercial and cultural areas of the industry through Diversity Equity & Inclusion; Digital Fashion; and positive environmental practices through our Institute of Positive Fashion... We will continue to evolve our platforms to amplify excellence in creativity and its role in the UK’s cultural influence. “
One of the highlights leading up to the momentous LFW event was the reception held during the summer at the new Serpentine Pavilion, which is a temporary building at the Serpentine Gallery in London and at a London restaurant for the 40th anniversary of LFW, while industry insiders gathered to what promises to be a spectacular showcase of creativity and innovation.
Photo of the Serpentine pavilion, LFW reception location from July. Photo by Nic Ford via LFW
Photo of the LFW reception at the Serpentine Pavilion during the LFW in July. Photo by Nic Ford via LFW
Photo of one of LFW reception locations from July. Photo by Nic Ford via LFW
Architecture and fashion have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, with each influencing and inspiring the other in unique ways. The fusion of architecture elements into fashion creations has resulted in breathtaking designs that blur the boundaries between art, form and function, adding a layer of extra depth and sophistication.
The LFW September 2024 programme is supported by: 1664 Blanc, alo, Diet Coke, Hunter, JD.com, ORA, Pandora, The Londoner, TONI&GUY, Royal Salute, Yoseido, FORA, Ocean Outdoor, The Department for Business and Trade and the GREAT Campaign.
Let's celebrate the transformative power of design, the beauty of collaboration and the potential that lies in art and innovation, don't miss out to view the events and have a look at the new collections physically or on the digital platform here.
> via LFW
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1. Photo of 180 The Strand building during the London Fashion Week. Photo by Philafrenzy. Retrieved 12 September, 2024 from ( https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_Fashion_Week_Men%27s_Strand_January_2017_02.jpg ) via Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY-SA 4.0 )