Catwalk shows have resumed at London Fashion Week after previous editions of the landmark industry event were forced online by the coronavirus pandemic.
The sight of models and audiences together again was a welcome sight for a country hoping to bounce back after lifting most restrictions in July.
A total of 28 shows are planned over five days, featuring 131 brands, including those from well-established designers such as Britain’s Edward Crutchley and Serbia’s Roksanda.
Irish designer Simone Rocha’s brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary. However, there are two notable absentees: former Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham, and the luxury brand Burberry.
In February, London Fashion Week one of the big four international fashion weeks alongside Paris, New York, and Milan was held entirely online, as the country was deep into a mid-winter virus lockdown.
According to data from Oxford Economics for the Creative Industries Federation and Creative England, the sector could recover faster than the UK economy as a whole.
It estimated growth of more than 25 percent by 2025, which would contribute some £132.1 billion ($180 billion, 153 billion euros) to the UK economy — more than £28 billion more than in 2020.
In July, Burberry announced that its first-quarter sales had returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, sales in Europe continued to suffer from the lack of tourists.
Last week, the London-based French designer Roland Mouret told the Financial Times it could take his brand five years to fully recover from the impact of the pandemic.
