London fashion week runs from Sept. 16–21 this year in a hybrid format that allows the event to feel normal—but better. Many designers are offering live versions of their shows, while other designers are opting for in-person shows hosted at the Old Selfridges Hotel.
TIKTOK SPONSORSHIP
On Sept. 17, TikTok announced its partnership with the British Fashion Council to host this season’s fashion show, due to the growing fashion community that developed during quarantine on the high-paced app.
“What is unique about the TikTok Show Space is that it has been designed with a digital mindset, and with the ambition to support our designers to amplify the content of their collections,” said BFC CEO Caroline Rush in a press release. “We, at the BFC, always understood the changing nature of fashion and led the way in technology and innovation.”
This partnership also runs with Clearpay and NEWGEN, Clearpay helping sponsor the event and NEWGEN supporting future fashion designers. TikTok also enlisted designers to give viewers sneak peaks of collections.
THE SHOWSPACE
Fashion week will be hosted at the Old Selfridges Hotel, which is located above its popular department store. According to London Town, the space is not used as a hotel, but instead as a venue for art shows and events. It is a highly modern, yawning cement building which offers ample space for creativity.
“The TikTok Show Space will offer guests a fully immersive digital experience, engulfing them in each designer’s own unique aesthetic,” the press release said. “Floor to ceiling screens and a vast presentation space allow for a complete venue transformation with each show, which can also be fully experienced through the lens of TikTok creators LIVE from the FROW.”
DESIGNERS
This week featured over 100 designers, mostly niche brands that are unrecognizable to the common person, even more so, the American. However, Victoria Beckham will be gracing the runway this fashion season.
As this show is all about the newest designers, Vogue highlighted designers to watch in upcoming runways from all around the world. Labrum London, founded by Foday Dumbaya, seeks to represent African fashion, while designer Maxxij hails from Seoul, South Korea. Highly symbolic and innovative, this week’s new trends are sure to be a stepping stone in the world of fashion—both digitally and conceptually.
