A Very Sustainable London Fashion Week
With another London Fashion Week done and dusted, it’s a great time to look back at the shows, street style and new trends emerging from this year’s event.
Taking place twice a year, LFW is one of the biggest dates on the fashion calendar. And for those who like to follow a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle, it’s been amazing to see the shift each year, focusing more on ethical brands and tackling social issues. London Fashion Week in particular has been highlighted for its ethical efforts and was the first main fashion week to go fur-free in 2018.
During this year’s fashion week, there were a whole host of stand-out brands for us who are championing sustainability and encouraging fashion lovers to be more conscious of what they wear and buy. Designers and creatives wanted to show that it is possible to protect the planet we live on whilst creating and producing products that are fashion forward, so here’s a rundown of our stand-out brands and events at LFW 2020.
The Positive Fashion Exhibition
The British Fashion Council’s curated Positive Fashion Designer Exhibition
Image: Sandra Halliday
One of the most notable events at this year’s LFW was the ‘Positive Fashion Exhibition’, which showcased ‘the most compelling stories around sustainability, craftsmanship and ethics’ (London Fashion Week). The Exhibition offered guests the opportunity to discover new brands whilst inspiring and educating people on the positive changes that are currently happening within the Fashion industry.
Mulberry and the 100% sustainable leather bag
The Portobello Tote by Mulberry
Mulberry announced the launch of the first 100% sustainable leather bag, made from a by-product of food production. ‘The Portobello Tote’ aims to be a functional, every day bag which is made to last. All profits from sales of the bag will go to the World Land Trust – an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically and significant habitats.
Anya Hindmarch’s 90,000 plastic bottles
Anya Hindmarch outside her Sloane Street store
Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Any
Fashion accessories design Anya Hindmarch made a bold statement at this year’s LFW by filling her stores with over 90,000 plastic bottles, to show the impact that plastic pollution has on our planet. She stated that she chose to use 90,000 bottles as “this is the number of plastic bottles that are purchased globally every six seconds”. She coincided her radical demonstration by launching a new campaign; ‘I Am A Plastic Bag’, in which the bags have been made using a material sourced from recycled plastic bottles.
The very first London Fashion Week Clothes Swap
Patrick Duffy, one of the organisers of the London fashion week clothes swap, presents the wares.
Image: Ginevra Consolo
February 2020 saw the launch of the first ever London Fashion Week Clothes Swap, with items from Mulberry and Vivienne Westwood up for grabs. As clothes swapping has become increasingly popular over the years, it’s amazing to see such a high-profile event give this initiative the seal of approval.
Tommy Hilfiger’s 75% Sustainable Collection
Tommy Hilfiger return to London Fashion Week this month to present his Spring 2020 collection, which was heavily inspired by hip-hop, Americana and aimed to be fun but classic at the same time. Almost 75% of Hilfiger’s collection features sustainable elements, explaining that he is taking sustainability seriously and aims to be a leader, with more plans to make changes to save the environment.
Commenting on sustainability in the fashion industry, Hilfiger said, “Sustainability is something that every brand has to embrace – because if in two to three years a brand is not sustainable, they will be out of business.