The fashion show is back! The return to the IRL catwalk feels like a step towards some form of normality. However, with the prominent environmental and social issues within the fashion industry now under increased scrutiny, the tone this year felt markedly more authentic, as some brands looked to showcase gender-fluidity, inclusion and sustainability.

Undoubtedly, the New Normal has challenged the fashion industry across the globe, with many speaking of the Covid-19 pandemic as a “reset” moment for brands and designers. Adhering to social distancing guidelines, London Fashion Week followed a rather experimental approach by splitting their schedule into three, with brands debuting their collections either digitally or physically, or both…

I miss networking, meeting new people, seeing clothing in person and generally soaking up the atmosphere. To be able to talk frankly to brands, press, buyers, and gather insights into big retailers — these are all things that build cohesiveness in our industry. Many of us are missing out this season.

In anticipation of London Fashion Week, our Communications Director Jodi Muter-Hamilton takes a look at how the industry is adapting to a digital experience for all. Do digital fashion weeks foster creative expression or limit potential?

London Fashion Week has long held the reputation of being arty, wild and more unconventional when compared with the other main fashion weeks. But over the past few seasons, more buyers have given London a miss and the BFC have decided to focus on consumers. As we face this paradigm shift, a new crop of designers are coming through but are facing the difficult task of marrying commercial sensibilities with their urge to be unorthodox.

As we enter a new decade in a time of political turbulence, menswear designers took to the London catwalks to present their AW20 collections. A handful of which had their own individual statements to make, and messages that touched upon topics further than the borders of the brands, and the designers themselves.

Never, in the history of fashion, has there been so many women dictating how men should look…

Find me a fashion designer who hasn’t looked to Nature for inspiration, whether literally referencing flowers, trees, the oceans, the rainforests, animals, feathers or only the colours and moods of the wild or the weather. Bet you can’t, because our natural world is the source of the greatest, most diverse, most magical, spine-tingling beauty. It’s not just our home, but the source of all life. Including ours. We’d do well to remember this with every breath we take, because seriously, we’re trashing the joint.