The British Fashion Council has announced its plans for London Fashion Week, which will take place on September 16-20, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
The council said it would join the nation in mourning and would follow royal protocol. All core business activities at London Fashion Week will continue, but all non-essential business events such as parties and openings on the official schedule will be cancelled.
If the Queen’s funeral was to take place during London Fashion Week (as it was possible that it would take place 10 days after her death), the board suggested that shows that would take place on that date should be rescheduled.
Among the brands to be affected are KWK by Kay Kwok, Margaret Howell, Nensi Dojaka, 16Arlington, JE Cai, Rejina Pyo, David Koma, Halpern, Abigail Ajobi, Yuhan Wang, Simone Rocha, Tove, Fazilet, Stefan Cooke and Richard Quinn.
The organization also advised retailers that they might want to consider closing black armbands for the worker and funeral day.
In a statement released shortly after Queen Elizabeth’s death, the Council said: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who has devoted her life to serving her country. We are deeply saddened by the devastating news of Elizabeth’s passing, this platinum anniversary marks 70 years on the throne. The official mourning period will begin in the country from today. This will coincide with the exact time of London Fashion Week.”
“London Fashion Week is a mid-business event and a precious moment for designers to showcase their collections at a sensible moment on the fashion calendar, and we appreciate the work that went into this moment.
“So the shows and presentations of the collections can continue, but we want designers to respect the mood of the nation and the national mourning period, considering the timing of the release of their images. We will convey this to the media and we will ask them to respect it as well,” he said.
The British Fashion Board said it will announce an official arrangement for designers whose showcases will be affected by the funeral once the funeral date is confirmed.
