London Fashion Week to go ahead with ‘moments of respect’ for Queen Elizabeth
By Mike Bedigan, PA
Organisers say London Fashion Week will go ahead while observing “royal protocol” and including “our own moments of respect”, following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth.
The event, known as LFW and which runs from September 16th-20th, will be an opportunity for the industry to celebrate the monarch’s “legacy and commitment to creativity and design”, organisers said.
All union flags will fly at half mast during the event and a minute’s silence will be held at 8pm on Sunday.
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we wanted to share our plans for London Fashion Week presented by Clearpay 16th-20th September 2022. London Fashion Week will fall during the period of National Mourning and the Royal Funeral will take place on Monday 19th.
— London Fashion Week (@LondonFashionWk) September 13, 2022
There will be no shows or events on Monday September 19th, the day of the queen’s state funeral at Westminster Hall, in central London.
It comes as high-fashion brands including Burberry and Raf Simons announced they would be cancelling their shows at LFW following the historic news.
In a statement online and shared on social media, organisers said: “As a business-to-business event London Fashion Week will continue while observing Royal Protocol and the event will be dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with our own moments of respect.
We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
We join the Royal Family in mourning her loss. pic.twitter.com/xKHTDhGY3i— Burberry (@Burberry) September 8, 2022
“Having spoken to designers and industry members, we as an industry want to unite as a creative and business community to celebrate Her Majesty’s legacy and commitment to creativity and design.
“The British Fashion Council would like to thank our partners, designers, creative teams, brands, media, retailers, patrons and broader stakeholder community.”
It added that the Newgen venue at Selfridges Hotel will have a space for industry members to write tributes.
The British Fashion Council would like to thank our partners, designers, creative teams, brands, media, retailers, patrons and broader stakeholder community. To read the full impact on the event please visit https://t.co/DXkIjIAdO9. pic.twitter.com/XHyOQ73CAN
— London Fashion Week (@LondonFashionWk) September 13, 2022
An updated events schedule was also posted to the LFW website.
The queen was known to be a long-time supporter of British fashion, launching the QEII Award for British Design at LFW in 2018 and presenting Richard Quinn with the inaugural award.
Following the news of her death, LFW said in a statement that her reign would be marked as “one of empathy, strength and grace”.
“Her Majesty’s effortless style, charm and sense of fun was evident and her passion in supporting young creatives will continue to inspire the next generation,” the statement read.
