Everything You Might Have Missed From London Fashion Week
We round up all the news from the five-day style spectacular
18 September 2019
All Credits: PA
London Fashion Week wraps up today, bringing to a close five days of celebrity-filled catwalk shows, presentations and parties.
The fashion extravaganza is held so that designers can showcase what’s in store for the upcoming spring/summer – but it’s not just clothes that make headlines here.
From front row antics and supermodel sightings, to backstage beauty and activists in action, here are all the top stories you might have missed from London Fashion Week SS20…
Victoria Beckham expanded her empire
Not only did Victoria Beckham stage her SS20 fashion show on Sunday – with David and the kids on the front row, of course – the former Spice Girl also launched her eponymous beauty brand, with a glamorous lunch event on Monday.
The mum-of-four’s clothing and make-up collections had a similar goal: They’re aimed at busy working women.
“I want clothes that move with a woman, that move with her life,” Beckham said in her fashion show notes, and indeed there was a new fluidity to the Seventies-inspired tailoring and ruffles dresses.
SEE ALSO: Victoria Beckham Beauty Has Officially Launched
Beauty brand co-founder Sarah Creal picked up the thread on Monday, when describing the first drop of eye make-up: “We’re constantly running. We know you’re constantly running. And we want beauty that really keeps up with you.”
Naomi Campbell put on a spectacular show
The biggest celebrity draw of the week was Fashion for Relief, the charitable catwalk show organised by Naomi Campbell at the British Museum.
Featuring a diverse cast of more than 60 models – including famous faces like Stella Maxwell and Erin O’Connor – the event showcased clothing from a variety of designers, with Campbell herself taking to the runway twice, first in a multi-coloured feathered creation, then closing the show in an avant-garde bright red gown and cape.
Erdem’s billowing frocks came in his usual fine floral fabrics and rich hues, while Richard Quinn delivered one of the stand-out shows of the week – so dramatic it was reminiscent of the late Alexander McQueen in his heyday.
Models on the catwalk at the Erdem Spring/Summer 2020 London Fashion Week
There were sparkles aplenty
London may be known for its edgy designs but capital can still deliver plenty of glitz and glamour.
Sequins usually take top billing at Ashish. But for SS20, designer Ashish Gupta used tiny round mirrors to bring his signature sparkle in a collection that was somewhat more subdued that his usual poptastic offerings.
There was also a heavy dose of dazzle dust involved with London Fashion Week’s beauty trends. The Halpern models were given a graphic black sparkling eye make-up look, while at House of Holland, the ‘blown out’ glittery eyes were meant to represent a festival-goer who’s been dancing until dawn.
Public catwalks were held for the first time
There’s been a lot of talk about the democratisation of fashion in recent years, since the advent of bloggers and the prevalence of brands live-streaming their shows, so you don’t have to be an industry insider or celebrity to see collections being unveiled.
Until now, it’s still been virtually impossible for ‘regular’ people to get into fashion shows, but this time around the public were offered the chance to attend London Fashion Week – for a price.
Tickets to shows from Alexa Chung, House of Holland and Self-portrait cost £135 – or £245 for the honour of sitting on the front row – but there was another catch: The shows featured AW19 collections rather than next season’s, so in actual fact it’s still virtually impossible for non-fashion folk to get anywhere near a real LFW catwalk.
Protesters called for LFW to be cancelled
A couple of months before fashion week, climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion sent a letter to the British Fashion Council asking it to cancel the event in recognition of “the existential threat that faces us”, saying that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting.
Since the BFC declined to comply with its request, the activists targeted a number of high-profile catwalk shows, including Victoria Beckham and Burberry.
It seems their concerns hadn’t entirely fallen on deaf ears, however. Burberry revealed on Instagram that its show was carbon neutral for the first time, saying: “We have offset our impacts, such as the flights of guests travelling to London specifically for the show and the build and production of the event, through VSC-certified REDD+ projects which prevent deforestation and conserve tropical rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon”.
