The British Fashion Council (BFC) is delighted to announce that London Fashion Week (LFW), Friday 14th – Tuesday 18th February 2020, is set to open with a schedule of over 60 catwalk shows and presentations. This season, LFW continues the movement of positive change within our industry with the return of the Positive Fashion Exhibition together with LFW public shows and a talk series at the official hub The Store X, 180 Strand, while the Positive Fashion themed City-Wide Celebrations are set to unite London with 78 brands, 103 stores and 346 events taking place across five days in partnership with key retailers, cultural institutions and businesses, aimed at opening London Fashion Week to new audiences and communities.
The Positive Fashion Exhibition is a curated space with brands showcasing a presentation, campaign or interactive storytelling experience that answers to one or more of the three pillars of Positive Fashion: Environment, People, Craftsmanship & Community. In particular, the exhibition will host #FashionOurFuture, an interactive photo booth dedicated to the social media movement to slow down fashions' footprint, set up by Amy Powney of Mother of Pearl and a Swap Shop by Patrick McDowell with Global Fashion Exchange, where guests can bring a used item of clothing from their wardrobe to exchange.
The London Fashion Week venue is open from Friday 14th - Sunday 16th February and is made up of the BFC Show Space for trade and public shows, the Positive Fashion Exhibition, DiscoveryLAB and the NEWGEN installation.
EVENTS and AWARDS
The winners of the 2020 International Woolmark Prize and inaugural Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation will be announced on Monday, 17th February. The 2020 finalists have focused on traceability and adding transparency to their supply chains, supported by the International Woolmark Prize Innovation Academy.
On Tuesday 18th February, the Queen Elizabeth II Awardfor British Design will be presented by a senior member of the Royal Family to a British Designer to be announced. Created in the name of Her Majesty The Queen, the award recognises the role fashion plays in diplomacy, culture and communications. It further recognises creativity in design and those brands demonstrating value to the community and strong sustainable practices; previous recipients are Bethany Williams, 2019 and Richard Quinn, 2018.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
This season, London Fashion Week welcomes Tommy Hilfiger back to London, showing his fourth TommyxLewis collection with a strong focus on sustainability. Internationally recognised brands featuring on the LFW schedule include Burberry, Christopher Kane (Winner of Designers’ Designer Award, The Fashion Awards 2019), Erdem, JW Anderson, ROKSANDA, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, TemperleyLondon, Simone Rocha and Victoria Beckham. More than ever, designers are taking sustainability to the heart of their collections, in particular this season Johnstons of Elgin, Mulberry, Phoebe English, Richard Malone and Vivienne Westwood.
In the DiscoveryLAB, an experiential zone that spans the intersection of fashion, art and technology, shows include DI PETSA, LUEDERand Katie Ann McGuigan as well NEWGEN ONE TO WATCH: EFTYCHIA, Fashion Revolution DiscoMAKE, a collaborative event of fashion, music and workshops, BRICKS Talks 'Rise Together Issue' and Aro Archive presents Yohji Yamamoto 1983 – 2016. The NEWGEN installation features 20 designers from the BFC’s 2019/2020 internationally celebrated talent identification scheme while the BFC Show Space will host catwalk shows by Ashley Williams, BOSIDENG, Charlotte Knowles, On|Off Presents…, Yuhan Wang and NEWGEN Recipients: Matty Bovan and Richard Malone. REJINA PYO, Winner of British Emerging Talent Womenswear Award, The Fashion Awards 2019, will show on Saturday 15th February.
Other internationally celebrated designers on schedule are: 16Arlington, A.W.A.K.E MODE, Amanda Wakeley, Ashish, Aspinal of London, Bobby Abley, BORA AKSU, Chalayan, DAVID KOMA, Dilara Findikoglu, Edeline Lee, Emilia Wickstead, Fashion East, Halpern, Huishan Zhang, Liberty, Margaret Howell, Mark Fast, Marques'Almeida, BFC Fashion Trust recipient Molly Goddard, Olivia Rubin, OSMAN, Pam Hogg, Paul Costelloe, BFC Fashion Trust recipient Paula Knorr, RIXO, Richard Quinn, Roland Mouret, Shrimps, Stephen Jones, TOGA and UNDERAGE. Newcomer Petar Petrov joins the schedule, with alongside MM6 Maison Margiela and DAKS, both returning to London this season.
The BFC Show Space’s public shows for 2020 are Temperley London and De La Vali on Saturday and Sunday together with an engaging talk series with eight sessions featuring top industry leaders and insightful voices in fashion, business and innovation. The BFC will host the London Fashion Week schedule within the LetsBab app, so attendees can receive up to the minute schedule updates and show start times though notifications on the go.
Switch to BLUE® Campaign
The Switch to BLUE® campaign aims to bring the fashion industry together to lead in ambitious environmental action, for a more sustainable and greener future. Supported by Roland Mouret and the BFC, the campaign asks that fashion businesses commit to replacing their sample hangers from a single-use plastic solution with no circular life cycle, to Arch & Hook marine plastic hangers, a 100% recycled, fully closed loop alternative to source plastic for hangers. All designers featured in the Positive Fashion Exhibition are showcasing Arch & Hook hangers, in support of the campaign.
London Fashion Week with Bags of Ethics™ and Richard Malone
This season, the BFC and Bags of Ethics™ collaborated with designer Richard Malone on the design of the LFW reusable canvas bag. Richard Malone is a designer and multi-disciplinary artist who has become the fashion industry go-to for authenticity, resourcefulness and rebellion. Malone’s passionate commitment to sustainability in all its facet runs through his namesake brand. Bags of Ethics™ is a positive label that promotes the people and planet behind products.
The Model Zone 2020
Each season the BFC hosts The Model Zone at LFW and LFWM, creating a space for models to eat, drink and relax. Its location is not publicly advertised, so that it remains a safe space away from the main event. For 2020, The Model Zone will continue its focus on health and wellness, in collaboration with Be Well Collective and holding mindfulness workshops in the space. The BFC operates a confidential model helpline number each season, for more information please visit our website.
Partnerships
LFW February 2020 marks the beginning of celebrating 15 years of London Fashion Week’s official partnership with TONI&GUY. Over the years, TONI&GUY has created bespoke looks and styles for over 100 designers each year across both London Fashion Week and London Fashion Week Men’s including long established and emerging British talent such as: Paul Costelloe, GILES, Pam Hogg, Basso & Brook, Roksanda Ilincic, Malan Breton, House of Holland, Mary Katrantzou and Sophie Webster.
The generosity and commitment of our official partners, suppliers and supporters is more vital than ever. Please help us by acknowledging their support for London Fashion Week February 2020. Official Partner: Evening Standard, JD.com, Inc., LAVAZZA, LetsBab, The May Fair Hotel, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, The Store X, TONI&GUY; Official Suppliers: Bags of Ethics, Colgate, DHL, Fashion & Beauty Monitor, Getty Images, Launchmetrics, S by Sloggi, S’well; Official Supporters: The Department for International Trade, The European Regional Development Fund and the Mayor of London.