Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday 4th January 2021 and the return of lockdown measures in the UK, the British Fashion Council (BFC) has been specifically discussing with Government the appropriate way forward with regards to London Fashion Week considering the current backdrop to a public health emergency. The organization’s priority was to find a way for fashion businesses to continue to operate in a COVID secure way.
The BFC therefore confirms today that London Fashion Week, due to run from Friday 19th to Tuesday 23rd 2021 will be able to go ahead as digital-only event. Shows, presentations, and installations can be filmed and photographed but should not take place with an invited audience.
Filming and shoots can at this stage continue under the COVID relevant secure guidelines, including Performing Arts, Shoot Guidelines and Filming Guidelines, however all permitted activity that involves interaction with individuals outside of immediate households is under constant review and these guidelines should be referred to regularly to ensure alignment with latest lockdown and tier levels.
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.”
London Fashion Week will take place on www.londonfashionweek.com. All designers showcasing new content and selling new collections are featured on the digital platform, accessible to everyone throughout the year.