G
ender-neutral fashion weeks have been heralded as the future of the industry ahead of London’s latest major showcase.
The second London Fashion Week of the year begins on Friday in a June slot in the fashion calendar that had traditionally been held exclusively for the presentation of menswear collections.
But after LFW went genderless during the pandemic as part of efforts to support the industry, the chief executive of the British Fashion Council has suggested the format is here to stay.
Caroline Rush said: “At the beginning of the global pandemic, in June 2020, we made the decision to merge London Fashion Week and London Fashion Week Men’s onto a digital platform, giving designers greater flexibility, a decision which was based on feedback from designers. The showcase has naturally evolved to support a future of fashion that eliminates gender constructs, encourages all to take part and gives designers the flexibility to participate in any edition that makes the most sense for their brand.”
The schedule includes more than 30 designers and organisations across a range of catwalk shows, presentations, appointments, events and digital shows.
The first catwalk show takes place this evening by womenswear designer Nina Doroushi. Highlights of the schedule include London-based menswear label Labrum on Saturday night and
Ahluwalia on Sunday, a London-born menswear designer of Nigerian-Indian heritage who also launched womenswear in a joint collection for spring-summer 2022.
London Fashion Week: Front Row over the years – In pictures
2018
The Queen with Anna Wintour as they view Richard Quinn’s runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design as she visits London Fashion Week’s BFC show
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2019
Emmanuelle Alt, Edward Enninful, Romeo Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham, Cruz Beckham, Harper Beckham, David Beckham and Anna Wintour attend the Victoria Beckham show
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2010
Sarah Jessica Parker attends the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show
Dave Benett
2011
Kanye West and Sienna Miller attend at the Burberry Spring Summer 2012 Womenswear show
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1993
Ivana Trump at London Fashion Week
Neville Mariner
1999
Spice Girls at London Fashion Week. Emma Bunton, Melanie B, Melanie Chisholm fashion designer Julien MacDonald and Victoria Beckham
Dave Benett
2003
Christina Aguilera and designer Julien Macdonald pictured at his show at the Roundhouse
Dave Benett
2006
Beyonce Knowles arrives for the Armani show
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2007
Claudia Schiffer in the front row at the Fashion Fringe show during London Fashion Week
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2008
Lily Allen watches the PPQ collection
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2008
Kelly Osbourne and Alexa Chung are seated in front row for the Luella LFW Autumn/Winter 2008 show
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2008
Kimberly Stewart, Alexa Chung, Erin O’Connor and Jade Parfitt attend the House of Holland Spring/Summer 2009 collection at Bloomsbury Ballroom
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2008
Lily Allen and Jaime Winstone watch the Luella LFW Autumn/Winter 2008 show from front row at Claridges Hotel
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2009
Joan Collins and Boris Johnson attend the Caroline Charles Fashion show
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2009
Michelle Williams, Paloma Faith and Rosin Murphy attend the Ashish Fashion show at the BFC tent, Somerset House
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2009
Twiggy and guest in the front row for the Christopher Kane show
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2009
Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding attend the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Fashion show
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2009
Nick Rhodes chats to Rosamund Pike, model Jacquetta Wheeler and actress Mischa Barton at the Temperley Spring/Summer 2009 collection
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2009
Kristina Rihanoff poses for a photograph before the Louise Goldin London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 show at the TopShop Show Space
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2009
Joss Stone attends the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Fashion show
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2009
Joan Collins attends the Caroline Charles Fashion show during London Fashion Week at Somerset House
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2009
Jade Parfitt and Erin O’Connor attend the Twenty8Twelve show as part of London Fashion Week a/w 2009
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2009
Sienna Miller watches models rehearse before her sisters show Twenty8Twelve as part of London Fashion Week a/w 2009
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2009
Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Alexa Chung, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Daisy Lowe watch the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2010 Show at Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground during London Fashion Week
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2009
Lily Cole attends the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show as part of London Fashion Week a/w 2009
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2009
Geri Halliwell attends the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Fashion show
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2009
Liv Tyler, Emma Watson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Testino watch the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2010 Show at Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground
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2009
David Walliams attends the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show as part of London Fashion Week a/w 2009
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2009
Liv Tyler, Emma Watson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Testino watch the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2010 show at Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground
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2009
Liv Tyler, Emma Watson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Testino watch the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2010 show at Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground
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2011
Alexandra Shulman, Samantha Cameron and Harold Tillman on the front row for the Christopher Kane show
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2011
Ellie Goulding, Kanye West, Sienna Miller, Gemma Arterton, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley attend at the Burberry Spring Summer 2012 Womenswear Show at Kensington Gardens
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2012
Sonam Kapoor; will.i.am; Alexa Chung; Jeremy Irvine; Clemence Posey; Eddie Redmayne; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley; Mario Testino; Kate Bosworth; Michael Polish at Burberry Autumn Winter 2012 Womenswear Show during London Fashion Week at Kensington Gardens
Dave Benett
2012
Rihanna arrives at the Stella McCartney Special Presentation
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2012
Lady Gaga attends the front row for the Philip Treacy show
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2012
Kelly Osbourne, Pixie Geldof, Alexa Chung and Poppy Delevingne attend the front row for the House Of Holland show
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2013
Alison Mosshart, Paloma Faith, Sienna Miller, Harry Styles and Suki Waterhouse sit in the front row at Burberry Prorsum Womenswear Spring/Summer 2014 show
2014
Jamie Campbell Bower, Poppy Delevingne, Paloma Faith, Cara Delevingne, Kate Moss and Mario Testino attend the Burberry Womenswear SS15 show during London Fashion Week at Kensington Gardens
2014
Kate Moss and Lottie Moss attends the Topshop Unique show at London Fashion Week AW14 at Tate Modern
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2014
Nancy Shevell; Sir Paul McCartney; Chrissie Hynde; Rita Ora; Jamie Campbell Bower and Mary McCartney attend the Hunter Original show
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2015
Mario Testino and Naomi Campbell attend the Burberry Prorsum AW 2015 show
2015
Ronan Keating and Storm Keating attend the Julien Macdonald show
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2015
Paloma Faith, Clemence Posey, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sam Smith and Cara Delevingne attend the Burberry Prorsum AW 2015 show
2015
Rosie Fortescue attends the Bora Aksu show
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2015
Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Annie Clark and Naomie Harris attend the Burberry Womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 show
2015
Erin O’Connor attends the Eudon Choi show
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2015
Bip Ling, Alice Dellal, Patsy Kensit, Daisy Lowe, Mary Charteris, Jaime Winstone and Gwendoline Christie attend the Giles show
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2015
Amber Le Bon attends the Holly Fulton show
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2015
Ella Eyre attends the Julien Macdonald show
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2015
Lewis Hamilton and Tinie Tempah attend the Casely-Hayford show
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2016
Anna Wintour sits on the front row of Roksanda runway show
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2016
Naomie Harris attends the Songzio show during The London Collections Men SS17 at BFC Show Space
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2016
Cheryl Cole attends a Celebration Of L’Oreal Paris Studio Pro
Dave Benett
2016
Pixie Geldof and model Alexa Chung attend the Ashley Williams show
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2016
Amber Le Bon, Zara Martin, Maria Hatzistefanis and Alice Naylor Leyland attends the Temperley show
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2016
Lewi Morgan, Ella Eyre, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Abbey Clancy, Tom Daley, Fearne Cotton, Serayah McNeill and Kyle De’volle attend the Julien Macdonald runway show
Dave Benett
2016
Will.i.am and Fergie attend the Gareth Pugh show
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2017
Suki Waterhouse, Naomi Campbell, Penelope Cruz and Helouise Letissier attend the Burberry show
Dave Benett
2017
Alexa Chung attends the J.W.Anderson show
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2017
Poppy Delevingne, Lara Stone, Neymar and Lewis Hamilton attend the Tommy Hilfiger TOMMYNOW Fall 2017 Show
Dave Benett
2018
The Queen with Anna Wintour as they view Richard Quinn’s runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design as she visits London Fashion Week’s BFC show
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2019
Brooklyn Beckham, Hana Cross, Cruz Beckham, Romeo Beckham, Harper Beckham, David Beckham and Dame Anna Wintour attend the Victoria Beckham show
Dave Benett
A lack of big names on the schedule this weekend in comparison to the bigger fashion weeks in February and September is seen by emerging designers as a chance to shine. Ms Rush added: “Events such as LFW highlight the rich cultural landscape that contributes to the success of the British fashion industry.”