London Fashion Week is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. The trading show showcases over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, and it is one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks, along with the New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.
London Fashion Week began in October 1983, organised by the British Fashion Council (BFC) for the London Development Agency with help from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, This is a trade event that attracts significant press attention and benefit to taxpayers. It states that it is attended by over 5,000 press and buyers, and has estimated orders of over £100 million.
In Spring 2010, London Fashion Week became the first of the Big four fashion weeks to offer designers showing collections on the catwalk at Somerset House the opportunity to broadcast their shows live on the Internet.
Following increasing numbers of anti-fur protesters, the London Fashion Week held in September 2018 became the first major fashion week to be fur-free.
Following London Fashion Week each season, the 4-day London Fashion Week Festival (LFWF), formerly known as London Fashion Weekend, offers a consumer-orientated fashion week experience.
Held at The Store Studios, 180 The Strand, LFWF allows consumers to shop a curated edit of designer collections at show exclusive prices, sit front row at catwalk shows by London Fashion Week designers, get a head start on the key trends of the coming season and listen to talks by industry experts.
In February of 2019, London Fashion Week Festival introduced London Fashion Week: Insiders, a new format event that took place within the official Show Space at The Store X, 180 Strand. London Fashion Week: Insiders gave consumers unparalleled access to London Fashion Week on 16th and 17TH February 2019.