BFC overhauls Fashion Weekend, announces move

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 30, 2016

The BFC’s London Fashion Weekend is being transformed into a 10-day event called London Fashion Week Festival, announced the British Fashion Council on Friday morning.

The bi-annual consumer-facing event will drive a city-wide celebration of the British fashion industry, which is worth £28 billion and employs over 900,000 people across the country. It will enable UK-based designers, retailers and culture institutions to build direct relationships with consumers, giving them an in-sight into the London Fashion Week atmosphere through curated events.

The ticketed showcase was launched in 1998 and has grown to include over 150 international and British brands, which host curated pop-ups, talks and shopping experiences that are open to the public.

The next edition of London Fashion Week Festival will take place at The Store Studios – the new home for the BFC’s three bi-annual fashion events.

The move will see all three events relocated into one home, creating a fashion and cultural hub in the heart of London. The Store Studios are located at 180 Strand WC2 and boast of a strategic location at the intersection of North, South, East and West London.

The venue is currently showcasing The Infinite Mix exhibition curated by the Hayward Gallery and has previously hosted the Louis Vuitton Series 3 exhibition, and runway shows by Christopher Kane, Roksanda and Thomas Tait. It is also the current home of London Fashion Week Men's. 

“There is an increasingly big appetite from both brands and public to open up our industry to a wider audience.  We saw this in September with the see-now-buy-now collections. The BFC has always encouraged this kind of innovation while making sure that our showcasing platforms remain strong opportunities for the designers to present their work to the industry,” said Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive British Fashion Council.

“London Fashion Week and London Fashion Week Men’s will still showcase the best talent to industry professionals, giving the designers the opportunity to expand their businesses and get incredible international media exposure. London Fashion Week Festival is a natural continuation of the increasingly popular London Fashion Weekend. Housing the Festival at The Store Studios will reinforce the importance of offering direct to consumer experiences and insights into the fashion industry and there will be a lot of different ways for the public and businesses to get involved,” she continued.

The next London Fashion Week Men’s will be taking place on 6-9 January 2017 at The Store Studios, while London Fashion Week will be held on 17-21 February 2017.

The first London Fashion Week Festival at The Store Studios will run from 23-26 February 2017, with tickets for the event going on sale from 1 November 2016.