131 brands present
London Fashion Week: “Corona” tolerates fashion shows
Fashion Week in the British capital holds hope for the fashion sector after the lifting of most restrictions.
AFP
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Fashion shows returned to London, Friday, after the "Covid-19" pandemic led to some of them being conducted virtually via the Internet in the framework of the Fashion Week in the British capital, which holds hope for the fashion sector after lifting most of the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus.
Last February, London Fashion Week was held in a completely virtual format, given the ban on organizing shows in the presence of the public in light of the total closure.
As for this time, "this international event returns to embody the reopening of cultural activities in London after a long wait," according to the British Fashion Council, which represents the sector.
The five-day program dedicated to the Spring 2022 collection includes 28 shows, including British designers such as Edward Crutchley, Serbian Roxanda or Ireland's Simon Rocha, whose brand is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
The absence of two prominent names, the former "Spice Girls" member, fashion designer Victoria Beckham, and the "Burbury" house, was remarkable.
The week kicked off with a show by designer Sol Nash, 28, of a sportswear collection that relives his teenage years in Hackney, a borough of North East London.
Nash, who is also a dancer and choreographer, features freedom of movement in streamlined pieces with removable sleeves or hoods.
Nash made modifications to the short-sleeved shirt, which is an integral part of the English school uniform, providing an elegant and comfortable look.
As for the Edward Crutchley collection, it was distinguished by a completely different style, dominated by the character of luxury, through puffy dresses in lime green or floral prints.
emerging talents
Unlike some of the designers who gave live shows, others chose to display their collections on an appointment-only basis, or as videos that could be viewed on the Fashion Week platform launched in June 2020 with the aim of adapting to a healthy context.
The 32-year-old American designer, Michael Halpern, showcased a glamorous assortment of dresses embellished with sequins or covered with feathers, in a short video clip filmed at the Royal Opera House, in which the dancers acted as models.
131 brands will be present at the London Fashion Week event, which follows New York Fashion Week and precedes its counterpart in Milan.
Among its emerging talents is London-based Albanian designer Nancy Doyaka, in the first-ever show of the founder's fashion of the same name.
The 27-year-old designer, a graduate of the prestigious Central Saint Martins Fashion School in London, recently won the LVMH Young Talent Award after her glamorous designs and black dresses were admired by the jury.
The British fashion industry, which numbered about 890,000 employees in 2019, hopes to recover after what it suffered during the pandemic.
28 shows by well-known designers such as Britain's Edward Crutchley, Serbian Roxanda and Ireland's Simon Rocha.