Positive News
I bet you can guess what the topic of this week’s blog post is going to be… fashion week! Today marks the last day of London Fashion Week and I have a few things that I want to discuss with you. Back in April, which simply feels like forever and a day ago, I wrote a post called “The New Fashion Week” which discussed the changes the British Fashion Council planned to make to London Fashion Week. Well now that London Fashion Week is coming to a close, I thought we could discuss those changes and how they actually came to fruition.
First and foremost, it was 100% digital. Now by 100% I don’t mean each and every event was digital – there were some physical events – but the majority of the updates and happenings were hosted online at www.londonfashionweek.co.uk. The best part is that it was completely free and accessible to industry professionals and fashion lovers worldwide. On the digital platform, you will find “exclusive multimedia content from designers and brand partners, enabling collaboration and bringing together fashion, culture and technology” (“About,” 2020, para. 2). Through collections launches, conversations, galleries, podcasts and more, brands and designers tackled 2020’s challenges with innovation and perspective.
“LFW is one of the few international events to still be going ahead in London, proving the industry’s resilience, creativity, and innovation in difficult times. Now more than ever, the BFC acknowledges the necessity to look at the future of LFW and the opportunity to drive change, collaborate and innovate in ways that will establish long-term benefits, develop new sustainable business models and boost the industry’s economic and social power.”
All in all, there were 50 digital only events, 21 physical and digital events, 7 physical only events and 3 designers who had physical only evening events. Of course, adhering to governmental guidelines and safety precautions as it pertains to COVID-19, it seems as if the week has gone quite well.
When exploring the site, I came across the digital booklet produced by the BFC in preparation and anticipation of London Fashion Week. An article included in the booklet entitled “Positive Fashion” discusses the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) – something, shockingly, I had no idea about! Apparently, the IPF was launched earlier this year in the hopes of uniting the British Fashion Industry towards a collective goal of sustainability and inclusion. As stated on the IPF’s website, “The British Fashion Council launched the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) website in recognition of World Ocean Day. The IPF has been developed to help the British Fashion Industry lead in the goal to be more resilient, circular, equal and fair through global collaboration and local action. The website brings together global resources, information and campaigns to help businesses increase knowledge and embrace sustainable and people led best practices” (“Timeline,” 2020, para. 1). Its three central pillars are: environment, people, community and craftsmanship. On its home page there is a “Global Initiatives Map” that highlights different initiatives across the world where people are addressing the fashion industry’s impact on the environment, its people as well as community and craftsmanship.
An element of the fashion industry that I don’t think I’ve really touched on with the blog is the idea of traceability. I won’t get into detail here (don’t worry, I’ll do a post about it later), but traceability is basically the idea that you know where things are coming from – you can see the product’s lifespan from beginning to end. Traceability is something that the fashion industry seriously lacks. With complex global supply chains and products moving quickly from country to country, no one really knows the whole lifespan of a good. It makes me truly excited to see initiatives like the IPF that are working to enhance the traceability of the fashion industry. If we know where something is coming from, we can better measure its overall impact on not just the environment, but also its people!
Okay, okay… once again, I am getting off my soapbox; but I do want to acknowledge at least one designer whose digital collection I found particularly inspiring – Phoebe English. Her “Nothing New Part 2” digital collection was inclusive, simple, innovative and, you guessed it, nothing new. Comprised entirely of deadstock and surplus materials, English once again showed that luxury fashion and sustainability do in fact go hand-in-hand.
Take some time to explore London Fashion Week’s website and get ready to feel inspired!
Bye for now,
McGee