The Incredible Growth of London Fashion Week
It used to be that London Fashion Week was held in a tent in a car park. Now, it’s one of the biggest and most profitable fashion events of the year. With 800,000 people working in the UK fashion industry event and the fact that it generates more income than the UK’s food and drinks industry, it’s clear that it’s one of the most important sectors in the country. The result is that London Fashion Week is bigger and better than ever. With guests ranging from designers like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Simone Rocha, to high-profile celebrities like Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, and even the Queen herself, London Fashion Week has grown by an incredible amount.
Bigger Than Milan and Paris
The ‘Big Four’ fashion events are New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, and then London. The London event started much later than the others, but it quickly moved from being the outlier. The youngest of the Big Four, it generates more income than both the Paris and Milan events and is second only to New York Fashion Week. In terms of the number of guests that attend, though, it far outperforms Milan and Paris. According to research by Online Casino Betway, 22,500 people visit Milan Fashion Week, while Paris attracts around 30,000. By comparison, London Fashion Week sees around 105,000 visitors, meaning that it has just over the number of guests as Paris and Mian combined!
Career Launcher
London Fashion Week is also great news for designers. Some of the biggest names in the fashion world have launched their careers at the event. Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano (the five-time British Fashion Designer of the Year) were there at the inaugural event (helping to boost its success), but it’s also seen Stella McCartney, Philip Treacy, Alexander McQueen, and Simone Rocha all debuting new lines at the fashion event. It’s seen some controversies, as you’d expect, from some of the most daring and cutting-edge designers in the world. It’s that air of rebellion that helps it stand out from the now dull New York Fashion Week and the stuck-in-its-ways Milan show.
Moving Forward
How the event is going to change even more is yet to be clarified. It continues to remain on the cutting-edge of the fashion world, though. Simone Rocha, who is the daughter of fashion legend John Rocha, debuted her famous graduate collection at London Fashion Week and is now worn by style icons Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton. Rocha was named Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2016 and continues to impress with increasingly stunning designs. February 2021 found the event moving online only. All of the catwalk shows and the presentations were streamed, and collections were both unveiled and sold via digital showrooms.
It may have a late start and some very humble beginnings, but London Fashion Week is bigger and better than ever. The future might look a little cloudier right now, but if there’s one thing that London Fashion Week is good at, it’s adapting to change. The success of the 2021 online event promises more to come from the industry-defining event. As you can see, you don’t have to spend your next winter in London in order to enjoy London Fashion Week.