London Fashion Week hybrid event packs a punch, despite its smaller size

The June edition of London Fashion Week concluded on Sunday, and while in many ways it was a non-fashion week (without many shows), it still registered as a cultural event and had an impact on social networks. .

Craig Green's show a few days before the start helped remind us that a fashion week was coming, and headline-grabbing shows from brands like Charles Jeffrey Loverly and Qasimi were enough to set off the flashbulbs.

Charles Jeffrey's exhibition at Somerset House (where his studio is located and which also hosts a retrospective exhibition of Loverly) was a real “event”, especially after a few seasons in which he was exhibiting in Milan. To celebrate the label's 10th anniversary, he featured Beth Ditto and a choir on vocals, plus a cast of friends of the label.

Guests and models included Tilda Swinton, Erin O'Connor, Beth Ditto, Katy England, Bobby Gillespie, Wolf Gillespie, Lux Gillespie, Cora Corre, Tish Weinstock, Princess Julia, Miss Jason, Jodie Harsh, Jack Wolfe and M Huncho.

That's not a bad slate for a fashion week that some had speculated might have no impact.

As for the collection itself, dubbed '10', we're told it's “a visual and material milestone in Loverboy's history, a meditation on the enduring themes and temporalities that shape our universe. Building on our previous narrative approach, 10 has found its form through an exploration of 'queer time': the idea that queerness shapes not only our sense and understanding of gender and sexuality, but also our experiences of time itself and our relationships with past, present and future”.

In practice, that meant “nods toward nightwear and underwear” colliding with references to formality and outerwear, “in a confusion of sartorial codes of work and leisure, public and private.”

There were “naughty interpretations of traditionally masculine conservative signifiers, this time from the military and hunting spheres.” The collection also referenced the brand's own history and heroic garments through new “animal-friendly” versions of its eared hat and Warholian banana motif (“rendered oversized and overripe in black velvet”).

Through the association with The World of Clash, Jeffrey was also “returned to the penetrating arrows of SS18, this time less apfelschuss and more San Sebastian and a reinvention of the final wedding dress inspired by the character from the mobile game franchise, PEKKA.”

Meanwhile, Qasimi's SS25 collection also marked a return to the runway and the first live show under Hoor Al Qasimi's creative direction since he took the helm in 2020.

With her artistic background, it is no surprise that she has teamed up with artist Kambui Olujimi to present the collection at Wapping Power Station which, we are told, “fuses art, sculpture and fashion, delving into deep themes of identity, history and socio-politics”. .

It was largely inspired by Olujimi's 'When Monuments Fall' series and led Al Qasimi and the design team to “propose new narratives through the reinterpretation of forms.”

A central concept of the collection is “spolia”, which involves integrating elements of old structures into new designs.

So how did that play out in terms of clothes that will appear in stores in a few months? We obtained a mix of fluid and structured silhouettes (“symbolizing the ever-changing nature of the monuments”).

Fabrics used in the collection included mid-weight silk twill, sheer cotton voile and a luxurious wool-silk blend.

Techniques such as digital printing, image graining and fading were intended to “evoke the passage of time and the changing meaning of the original works of art.”

High-profile inaugural event

Elsewhere at LFW there were panel discussions and other events for the three-day “celebration of British menswear and the diverse cultures that have a long-standing influence on the fashion industry”.

It all started with David Beckham on Friday at an opening event in which the president of the British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush, did not hesitate to denounce the difficult times the sector is going through.

“Of course we are realistic about the challenges,” he said. “Globally, but particularly in the UK, market conditions remain difficult for fashion companies and as we prepare for the 4th of July general election, there is an opportunity to renew them. We need support to design and deliver #FashionsFuture.”

But he also underlined the current relevance of June fashion 'week', saying: “London has always been the most innovative and creative fashion week and this June is no exception. This is not a normal fashion week. We wanted to create a cultural moment with the goal of igniting the imagination with a focus on storytelling. Over the next three days, we will highlight the breadth of British menswear and the narrative that makes it unique.”

The opening event also included packed rooms at the ICA to reflect the three broader themes of fashion week (black culture, South Asian culture and queer culture).

The first was curated by broadcaster Clara Amfo, the second by writer and content creator Simran Randhawa and the third by model Kai-Isaiah Jamal.

Since it was fashion week, they also included clothes from brands like Nicholas Daley, Labrum London, Ahluwalia, Chet Lo, Harri, Abigail Ajobi and others.

Impact of social networks

So how well did all this resonate with the all-important juggernaut on social media?

Social media management platform Dash Hudson mined data to show that the BFC's “innovative approach significantly elevated the event experience, resulting in increased audience engagement” on Instagram.

It measured the level of interaction between a brand and its audience, indicating the effectiveness of the content and brand affinity.

The average participation rate for the luxury industry during the period analyzed was 0.19%, but Harri's participation rate was 2.47%, 1200% above the industry average; Marie Lueder's was 1.82%; Claudia Wang's was 1.28%; and both Qasimi and Gieves were 31% above the industry average.

The top five brands with the highest follower growth on Instagram during LFW were Harri with 1.74%, 2,800% above the average; Charles Jeffery Loverboy at 1.09%/1,717%%; Denzil Patrick with 0.84%/1,300%; Marie Lueder with 0.44%/633%; and Qasimi at 0.42%/600%.

And the top five individual Instagram posts by engagement rate came from Harri at 7.11%/3642%; Alexander Roth with 3.89%/1.947%; Harri again with 3.74%/1,868%; Marie Lueder with 1.86%/878%; and Craig Green with 1.48%/678%.