This week, it was announced that London Fashion Week would be moving from its iconic Somerset House location to the heart of Soho. The British Fashion Council (BFC) have decided to move the event to the Brewer Street Car Park at the centre of the city in an effort to fulfil the brand's goal to take residency in the West End in a location that is within close proximity of the city's major retail spaces. The move will take place this September, with the new location to span two floors of the Brewer Street Car Park. The BFC offices, however, will remain at Somerset House, which has hosted LFW since 2009.
London Fashion Week will be moving from its iconic Somerset House location to the Brewer Street Car Park in the heart of Soho
The BFC Show Space will play host to designer catwalk shows, and the Designer Showrooms will see over a hundred designers exhibiting their collections to an audience of UK and international press, buyers and stylists. The new space is also to be used for guest registration, and will include a bespoke area for photographers, as well as dedicated press, buyer and sponsor spaces. While the move may be big news for fashionistas all over the world, it is not the first time the BFC have used the space. Last season, the British Fashion Council used the space to exhibit over 110 emerging fashion designers from nearly 30 countries as part of the International Fashion Showcase, the largest LFW exhibition that is also free and open to the public.
The iconic, JJ Joass-designed, art deco building dates back to 1929, and is fast becoming one of the most creative spaces in Soho
The iconic, JJ Joass-designed, art deco building dates back to 1929, and is fast becoming one of the most creative spaces in Soho. It has recently played host to a variety of audio-visual shows, events and installations including The Enclave, an exhibition by Richard Mosse; The Fractured and the Feline by multi-media illustrator Quentin Jones which was designed by Robert Storey; FORMAT by acclaimed music producer and artist Trevor Jackson; Dinos Chapman and the Capital Children’s Choir; and The Ada Project by Conrad Shawcross.
London Fashion Week moves to Brewer Street, Soho for September 2015
Caroline Rush, chief executive of the BFC, said: “The long term growth of the UK's designer fashion market is reflected geographically in this move that will see London Fashion Week designers showcasing collections in one of London's most vibrant, diverse and creative hubs set within a mile of Bond Street, Dover Street, Mount Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street. The new and exciting venue has already been dubbed as Brewer Street's 'Fashion Park' and will offer freedom and flexibility to designers who will be able to transform the show space to reflect their own aesthetics and identity.”
The move will see London Fashion Week designers showcasing collections in one of London's most vibrant, diverse and creative hubs
Though the operational car park, which is located next to the newly regenerated Great Windmill Street, may seem a surprising move to many given the narrow dimensions of the street, Munira Mirza, deputy mayor for education and culture, is confident that it's a natural fit. She added: “Brewer Street Car Park as the host venue is a brilliant development for London Fashion Week. With its position in Soho, it is at the heart of an area that has long been associated with fashion and creativity in general. I am sure the move will literally drive even more interest in one of the most important sectors for our economy.”
This September marks the 62nd LFW, which has become a major highlight on the international fashion calendar
This September marks the 62nd LFW, which has become a major highlight on the international fashion calendar. This year, in a bid to drive city-wide support for the industry (which employs nearly 800,000 people and is worth £26 billion to the UK GDP) this season’s LFW showrooms, catwalk and event schedule will be accompanied by an exciting programme of free talks open to the public. Registration for the Spring/Summer 2016 LFC, which will take place between Friday the 18th and Tuesday the 22nd of September, is open now, with the provisional schedule to be announced in mid-July.
