London Fashion Week celebrates 40 years despite economic challenges

LONDON, United Kingdom — Creators, influencers, buyers and celebrities will gather in London to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the UK capital's Fashion Week in a five-day extravaganza that organizers hope will bring some cheer to young designers hit by a gloomy economy.

Around sixty budding talents together with renowned names like Burberry will present their 2024 Autumn/Winter lines across London on a mix of live and virtual stages.

Unlike the fashion weeks in Paris and Milan, which predominantly showcase established houses, London's Fashion Week is celebrated as a platform for young talents, such as the Ukrainian Masha Popova and the British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, who will kick off the event.

The weekend will feature more familiar names including JW Anderson — whose designer Jonathan Anderson was named Designer of the Year 2023 by Vogue — Richard Quinn, Ahluwalia and Simone Rocha, who recently designed Jean Paul Gaultier's last haute couture Spring/Summer 2024 collection presented in Paris in January.

The event comes at a tumultuous for Britain's fashion industry, with trade obstacles following Brexit and a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by inflation over the past two years, causing many young fashion houses to question the viability of investing in UK fashion shows.

Rising star Dilara Findikoglu made headlines last September after she cancelled her show days before the event due to financial reasons.

Related:  Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez among 2024 Met Gala co-hosts

The industry, which employs close to 900,000 people in the UK and contributes 21 billion pounds (P1.48 trillion) to the British economy, is facing "incredibly challenging times," London Fashion Week's director Caroline Rush said.

But what can be garnered from 40 years, she said, "is that in the most economically challenging times, you see the most incredible creativity".

"There's almost this visceral reaction to what's happening at home," Rush said. "I'm hoping that the creativity that we see over the next few days will be incredibly uplifting, that it will talk about the role of culture and creativity in society."

Diversity

In 1984, a tent set up in the parking lot of the former