The Japan Times - Muted London fashion week wraps up with Burberry show

Brands are grappling with a reduced appetite for luxury products worldwide, while a slimmed-down schedule with several absentees have raised concerns about London Fashion Week's future.

Still, there was room for spectacle -- from striking silhouettes in designer Harris Reed's opening show and hats made of glass by master milliner Stephen Jones.

On the catwalks, the bubble skirt from the 1980s in several forms was one of the trends spotted.

Meanwhile, Irish designer Sinead O'Dwyer set out to show all women can be sexy, no matter age and body type. Diversity was a common theme across many collections.

- Burberry -

Hopeful fashionistas have been holding out for the biggest name of the week -- British megahouse Burberry -- which showcases its collection at 1900 GMT at the Tate Britain museum.

The fashion giant famed for its trench coats and signature tartan print is going through a difficult period, and is the subject of rumours about the departure of its creative director.

Daniel Lee arrived a little over two years ago and has tried to give the British mega-house a facelift.

Lee could be replaced by English designer Kim Jones, who left Dior Men at the end of January after seven years, according to media reports.

Burberry, which has been experiencing months of financial difficulty, began an "emergency" refocusing on its iconic products such as the famous trench coat late last year in a bid to stave off falling sales.

Last month it announced a further decline in sales, hit by weak demand in China, but the troubled group was showing signs of recovery under new leadership and the decline was less severe than forecast.

- Slipping behind -

Despite the presence of renowned designers such as Simone Rocha and Richard Quinn, and promising stylists such as S.S. Daley and Harris Reed, several fashion experts said London Fashion Week was falling further behind Paris and New York every year.

"There is a bit of a damp spirit, an empty feeling, to the London schedule at the moment," Daley told The Guardian newspaper before his show.

Caroline Rush, the director of the British Fashion Council which organises London Fashion Week, acknowledged it was "a particularly challenging time" for British brands.

Brands have been dealt several blows following the pandemic, such as Brexit and last year's closure of the global luxury online platform Matches Fashion.

This year's event is almost a day shorter than the previous Autumn-Winter 2024 fashion week, with several designers opting for a dinner or presentation instead of a pricier runway show.

Buyers and influencers such as Beka Gvishiani of Style Not Com, an Instagram account that charts fashion news, did not make the trip, while Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was also absent with his brand JW Anderson.

Rush, who is organising her last London Fashion Week, said London Fashion Week remains "so relevant because ... we have so many small independent businesses, they need a platform to be able to show to reach global audiences."

K.Abe--JT