LONDON: London Fashion Week kicked off on Friday, declaring itself fur-free for the first time as an increasing number of designers seek to better their green credentials.
The five-day trade event, the second leg of the month-long spring/summer 2019 catwalk season, has fewer big names than New York, Milan and Paris but draws buyers, journalists and bloggers from around the world for its emerging talent and established brands such as Burberry, Christopher Kane and Erdem.
According to a survey by the British Fashion Council (BFC), no animal fur will feature on the London catwalks or in designer presentations this season.
"We ask every season whether fur will be represented on the catwalk or in presentations...This is the first time that designers have said that there will be 100 percent no fur on the catwalk," BFC Chief Executive Caroline Rush told Reuters.
"I think it just reflects a change in their creative choices and the power of the consumer and really thinking about the images that they're putting out through fashion week."
Burberry last week said it would no longer use real fur, the latest fashion house to ditch animal skin amid growing pressure from animal rights groups and younger clients' changing tastes. Other labels turning their back on fur include Italian luxury labels Versace and Gucci.
"Of the big four (fashion capitals), (London) is certainly the first that can say that we'll be 100 percent fur free this time," Rush added.
Getting the ball rolling with a bold and colourful show, designer Richard Malone chose hot pink, mustard yellow and sharp blues and greens for his edgy collection which appeared to draw on 1960s-1980s influences.
Models strutted in light jackets with exaggerated shoulders, tasselled mini-skirts and narrow over-the-knee biker shorts worn with chunky platform boots. Printed tops featured the face of a stranger in a crowd, according to show notes.
Asked to describe the line, Malone said it was "bossy and fun ... like fun for a women to wear, and also quite powerful for a women to wear."
The women's clothing market grew by 3.2 percent to 28.4 billion pounds ($37.26 billion) last year in Britain, according to market research firm Mintel, and sales are forecast to increase to 33.5 billion pounds in 2022.
Among the highlights this season is Victoria Beckham who is celebrating 10 years in fashion by bringing her catwalk show to London from New York, and the first collection by Burberry's new chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci.
London Fashion Week kicks off declaring itself fur-free
London Fashion Week kicks off declaring itself fur-free
Fashion world pays tribute to Valentino
DUBAI: Models, celebrities and designers have paid tribute to Valentino Garavani, who died earlier this week at the age of 93.
The Italian designer, known for his high-glamour gowns and his signature shade of red, was a fashion show mainstay for nearly half a century.
Among those honoring him was model Mona Tougaard, who walked in his 2024 show. The Danish model, who has Turkish, Somali and Ethiopian heritage, shared the news on Instagram with a broken-heart emoji.
Dubai-based Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan also paid tribute by resharing a photo of herself with Garavani from a fan account, adding a broken-heart emoji and a bird emoji.
Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran shared an image of the designer on his Instagram story, joining the wave of tributes from across the fashion world.
Known universally by his first name, Valentino was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts and Queen Rania of Jordan, who all swore the designer always made them look and feel their best.
Though Italian-born and despite maintaining his atelier in Rome, he mostly unveiled his collections in Paris.
Alessandro Michele, the current creative director of the Valentino fashion house, wrote on Instagram that he continues to feel Valentino’s “gaze” as he works on the next collection, which will be presented in Rome on March 12.
Valentino was born into a wealthy family in the northern Italian town of Voghera on May 11, 1932. He said it was his childhood love of cinema that set him down the fashion path.
“I was crazy for silver screen, I was crazy for beauty, to see all those movie stars being sensation, well dressed, being always perfect,” he said in a 2007 television interview.
After studying fashion in Milan and Paris, he spent much of the 1950s working for established Paris-based designer Jean Desses and later Guy Laroche before striking out on his own. He founded the house of Valentino on Rome’s Via Condotti in 1959.
Early fans included Italian screen sirens Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren, as well as Hollywood stars Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.
Over the years, Valentino’s empire expanded as the designer added ready-to-wear, menswear and accessories lines.
