Five Takeaways From London Fashion Week

Earlier this week, the biggest names in showbusiness gathered in the capital for London Fashion Week. The event did not disappoint, attracting designers such as Burberry and Armani, as well as a host of celebrities and social influencers.

For Getty Images, our presence was stronger than ever. Now Official Supplier to the British Fashion Council, our expert team put in over 2,000 hours during the week.

Reflecting on my 7^th year at LFW, here are my top five takeaways from this year’s event.

5. Diversity wins

London is celebrated for its cultural diversity, but this has not traditionally been reflected in fashion. Consumers understandably want to feel represented by the models they see on the catwalk, putting mounting pressure on designers to cast people who more accurately portray society. With this in mind, one of the most positive outcomes of this year’s event has been the notable increase in the number of ethnic minority, disabled and older models.

Disabled model, Kelly Knox, featured in British design duo Teatum Jones' show

British design duo Teatum Jones cast a number of disabled models for their show, including Kelly Knox, who praised the designers for "truly believing in diversity". Elsewhere, models wearing hijabs featured in Edeline Lee’s show and 60-year-old Alex Bruni flew the flag for older models in a workshop at Somerset House.

However, there is more to be done. While it is great to see a more diverse selection of models, we need to reach a place where diversity is expected and brands do not need to be praised for simply representing the people they aim to target; it should be the industry standard.

4. More accessible than ever

London Fashion Week has established a reputation for being less industry-led than its rivals and this year its focus on the consumer was stronger than ever. Amazon’s partnership with Nicola Formichetti brought the ‘see-now-buy-now’ strategy to life, enabling Londoners to get their favourite catwalk garments delivered to their doorstep within one hour of ordering.

Other brands collaborated with technology giants to deliver the show live to fans around the world. This was the case for Tommy Hilfiger’s highly anticipated show, which was moved from its usual New York Fashion Week spot and streamed live from Camden’s Roundhouse by Yahoo.

Tommy Hilfiger and Gigi Hadid

3. London is the fashion capital of the world

London Fashion Week has always attracted big name designers and this year was no different. Tommy Hilfiger brought his show to the city for the first time in 20 years and Roland Mouret recently moved from Paris Fashion Week, in favour of London. The city is celebrated for its sense of freedom, which filters through to the catwalk and leaves designers feeling less constrained creatively.

Kate Moss arrives at LFW [Photocredit: Getty Images' Rebecca Lews]

This year, perhaps more than most, saw brands taking a stand on important causes. We again saw anti-fur protests staged at numerous shows and those designers whose message is aligned took advantage. Julien MacDonald, who famously used fur in his early collections, used the protests as an opportunity to apologise for his previous choices, saying; “You do not need to kill animals to wear nice clothes”. Aside from anti-fur protests, the British Fashion Council, Vivienne Westwood and the mayor of London campaigned to encourage brands to switch to a green energy supplier by 2020.

2. Need for speed

Imagery plays an essential part in building brand identity. It is a universal language with the power to resonate with consumers in all corners of the globe. But with the rise of social media, and everyone from models to the front row posting what they see on the catwalk, brands now face the added pressure of needing to distribute images from their shows as quickly as possible.

Backstage access is no longer limited to designers and their teams, and brands are increasingly partnering with influencers to promote their designs. Using Instagram Stories and Facebook Live, consumers can get live updates by following their favourite social media stars. 

With the need to provide images quicker than ever before, we have to ensure that the best quality content is accessible in the quickest time. Getty Images photographers shot over 45,000 professional images during this year’s five-day event, and these images were filed and uploaded in as little 59 seconds – from camera to client in an instant.  

A shot from London Fashion Week by Getty Images' Rebecca Lews

1. New forms of content

With this new level of access to shows at fashion week, traditional catwalk photographs have been joined by a combination of front row, street style and video content. We’ve also seen an increase in demand for content that offers even more insight into the style on show, beyond what’s landing in Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat feeds.

This includes 360 and VR content. This year we created an access-all-areas 360 experience of Alice Temperley's studio, to show how she takes her vision for Temperley London from the fitting room to the London Fashion Week runway. We expect to see more and more brands create content like this – showcasing the craftmanship behind their designs and shows and adding more value for the consumer.

With global attention, new forms of content and unlimited access, London Fashion Week opened up an array of opportunities for brands. One again, it reinforced the capital’s reputation as a cultural and creative hub.