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Due to quirks in the calendar too boring to get into, there’s a rare gap in the New York-London-Milan-Paris fashion week gauntlet. There’s plenty of other reasons the industry will be turning its attention to London, however.
On Sunday, the Baftas will hand out awards to the best in British and international film. The event has a roughly 50/50 track record in predicting Oscar winners. Its red carpet has about the same odds of producing fashion moments. Last year, Louis Vuitton got some notice thanks to ambassadors Emma Stone and Cate Blanchett, while Taylor Russell’s feathery, backless gown by Loewe was probably the closest the night came to a viral look. Even then, the earned media for those brands was a fraction of what they received at the Oscars, the Golden Globes and even the Emmys in 2024, according to data from CreatorIQ.
Formula 1’s kickoff for its 75th season on Tuesday will be less glamorous, but from a business perspective probably offers more bang for fashion’s buck. Here the dynamic is reversed: while F1 has made inroads in the US, it’s long been a top-tier sport internationally, and the UK is home to league headquarters as well as most of its top racing teams. Said teams have signed too many fashion partnerships to count in the last few years; to cite one example, McLaren’s online store offers collaborations with Levi’s, Castore and other brands, and shoppers at Abercrombie & Fitch or Reiss might encounter capsule collections heavily featuring the team’s signature orange.
The big new entrant this year is LVMH, which signed a 10-year partnership with F1 in October. Racing-themed announcements from the conglomerate’s many brands have dribbled out ever since, with Tag Heuer named the official timekeeper and the Monaco Grand Prix’s first title sponsor and Moët & Chandon the official champagne sprayed by (and onto) the winning driver. No word yet on whether we’ll see dancers pushing Louis Vuitton trunks along the Thames this week.
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Finally, London Fashion Week begins with Harris Reed’s show on Thursday. The week is clinging to its status as one of the big four, with shows earning a fraction of the attention of New York, let alone Milan or Paris. The schedule still features names such as Reed, Richard Quinn and 2022 LVMH Prize winner S.S. Daley (the latter two show on Friday), plus Burberry, which closes out the week on Feb. 24. London’s defenders say the week’s lower profile creates room for emerging designers to make a splash. But the lack of international press, influencers, brands and attention makes it harder to capitalise on those moments when they happen.
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