Topshop not showing at London Fashion Week this season

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Feb 12, 2018

Topshop won’t be showing at London Fashion Week this month with the directional fast fashion retailer absent for the first time since it made its LFW debut in 2005.

The company’s shows have been a big draw on the calendar ever since then with its higher-end Unique offer generally receiving strong reviews. And its front row of Arcadia owner Sir Philip Green and assorted celebs, including Kate Moss, has always managed to grab headlines, both positive and negative.

But despite its absence, it will continue to sponsor other shows with the Topshop show space in Covent Garden this season set to host big names such as House of Holland and Nicola Formichetti’s Nicopanda, which showed at LFW for the first time last season.

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It’s perhaps no surprise that Topshop is taking a sabbatical. The business is going through major change at present with a challenging sales and profits picture seeing the company taking some tough decisions. They include the reported axing of a raft of store manager jobs in Topshop and Topman stores. And don’t forget last year’s very public problems at its Australian and Spanish businesses. More positive, it’s also putting resources into Chinese expansion, while executive and creative changes at the firm are driving new thinking at the chain. 

It’s interesting though that some of the biggest exec changes have seen people moving over from the luxury sector where runway shows are a must-have. Last year CEO Paul Price joined from Burberry, replacing Mary Homer, who is now CEO at The White Company. And it named Anthony Cuthbertson as global design director (he was most recently at Just Cavalli). 

Meanwhile, Topshop/Topman creative director David Hägglund joined, having been a consultant for Hugo Boss, replacing Topshop creative chief Kate Phelan and Topman’s Gordon Richardson. 

But regardless of all the change, speculation over the exact reasons behind the LFW strategy change are set to remain just that - speculation. Topshop has confirmed the move but simply said it "remains committed to the development and support of emerging and established talent and will be hosting the Topshop Showspace.”