London Fashion Week February 2021 to go ahead without a live audience

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has today confirmed London Fashion Week will go ahead Friday 19 February to Tuesday 23 February 2021, without a live audience.

The digital-only event will feature filmed shows, presentations and installations, with all relevant COVID secure guidelines being followed, including Shoot Guidelines and Filming Guidelines.

Following the Prime Minister's announcement on Monday 4 January 2021 and the return of lockdown measures in the UK, BFC has been specifically discussing with Government the appropriate way forward with regards to London Fashion Week considering the current circumstances.

The organisation said its "priority was to find a way for fashion businesses to continue to operate in a COVID secure way."

Caroline Rush, BFC Chief Executive commented: “The BFC continues to ask Government to engage in support of the fashion industry. One of the main active requests is to allow key creative and model talent to travel to and from the UK with a phased introduction of quarantine exemptions for the fashion industry, in order to carry out essential business, to protect the competitiveness of the British fashion industry.

"This further lockdown is incredibly challenging for businesses, freelancers and individuals. Our industry is one of amazing creativity and this is more true in the UK than any other country. The majority of businesses and individuals we work with are independent businesses and creatives who contribute significantly to the cultural and creative reputation of our country. We will continue to push for support and champion our extraordinary businesses to global audiences.

"Despite all the challenges the last few years have brought, I truly believe that the creativity, agility and business savvy of our sector will prevail and the societal conscious of our British businesses and fashion workforce will see us re-calibrate to not only be strong creatively but strong sustainably too.”

The event will stream live on London Fashion Week's website, with all designers showcasing new collections to be featured on the digital platform, accessible to everyone throughout 2021.