Emerging and sustainable designers will get a chance to shine at London Fashion Week from Friday, with major brands such as Burberry, Victoria Beckham and Vivienne Westwood either absent or sticking to digital formats for the five-day catwalk extravaganza.
Burberry said without explanation it would hold a live show in March that is not part of the event, while ex-Spice Girl Beckham – who last held a live show in London two years ago – has spoken of cost issues.
Following in the footsteps of designer brands such as Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, meanwhile, Serbian designer Roksanda Ilincic will be selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs), offering digital ownership of a 3D image of a dress from her label.
The week kicks off with sustainable label Sohuman, created by Spanish designer Javier Aparici, who quit a career in finance to work in fashion and promises "radical transparency" on the factories used to make his garments.
As sustainability and upcycling become industry buzzwords, there will also be interest in Tuesday's shows by Britain's Bethany Williams and Ireland's Richard Malone.
Williams's materials include abandoned festival tents for garments and book waste for bags while Malone's creations feature fragments of materials including scrap leather.
The London event, which will showcase autumn/winter 2022 collections, was held entirely virtually a year ago as it coincided with a national lockdown. Live catwalk shows resumed last September.
This time, there will be nearly 40 such shows including Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard, Roksanda, Erdem, Rejina Pyo and Ozwald Boateng, whose last-minute surprise addition to the schedule will be his first at London Fashion Week in 12 years.
Other designers are sticking to digital formats, such as Westwood, who will present her latest creations in a video.
Burberry confirmed it will hold a live catwalk show in London on Friday, March 11, outside of London Fashion Week. No further details were given on the decision.
It will be the brand's first live event in two years, after it participated in London's 2020 fashion week programme.
Beckham last held a live show for her luxury brand in London in February 2020, then put on online shows in September 2020 and February 2021.
The former Spice Girl told the Evening Standard in April 2021 that she would "probably not" be able to afford a live show in September that year owing to the high costs. Her brand did not participate.
Emerging designers to look out for this week include Albanian-born Nensi Dojaka, who last year won the prestigious LVMH prize for young fashion designers, and Steven Stokey-Daley, creative director of the SS Daley label from Liverpool.
There will also be a chance to spot future stars at Sunday shows put on by Central Saint Martins, the top fashion college, and Fashion East, a non-profit talent incubator.
In an innovation introduced during Britain's first national lockdown in June 2020, the catwalk shows will be available to view online on the organiser's website.
After being hit hard by the pandemic, the British fashion sector, which employed about 890,000 people in 2019, is seeking a route to recovery.
Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, which organises the fashion week, told AFP that the industry has had "a very challenging couple of years", exacerbated by Brexit-related changes that entered full force on January 31, 2020.
"Brexit continues to be a challenge for the fashion industry... whether it is tariffs or paperwork, visas for people to be able to work in different countries," Rush said.
The lifting of pandemic travel restrictions has allowed at least some international visitors to attend the fashion week.
"We won't have attendance from many Asian countries that still aren't able to travel," Rush said. "But business can still be done."
A 2021 report published by Oxford Economics for Creative England (now Creative UK) and the Creative Industries Federation found that with the right investment, the creative sector could recover from the pandemic faster than the UK economy as a whole.
It estimated growth of more than 26 per cent in the four years until 2025, which would contribute around £132.1 billion ($180b) to the UK economy.
London's five-day showcase will be followed by fashion weeks in Milan and Paris later this month.
- Reporting by AFP
See pictures from London Fashion Week's spring/summer 2022 collections
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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