London Fashion Week Goes Digital

LONDON, Feb 2, 2010 / FW/ — In a groundbreaking move, the British Fashion Council had opened a digital schedule of London Fashion Week, the first one ever to be launched on February 19th.

This new aspect of the London season will bring together live streamed fashion shows and a selection of digitally presented fashion films created by some of London’s most innovative designers.

Though fashion houses in New York, London, Milan and Paris had opted to stream their shows online, or even show a film online during fashion week, London is the first among the four leading fashion capitals to embrace the digital media into its twice yearly showcase.

In 2002, New York Fashion Week streamed the shows on a JumboTron in Bryant Park, in between the Tents and the New York Public Library. It was also streamed live in downtown Los Angeles. Groundbreaking as it was, the idea did not take hold because it was ahead of its time.

Broadband use and Wi-Fi were still in its infancy and the internet was still a largely unknown element among the show organizers and fashion houses. Social networking did not even exist.

As most techies already know, 8 years is a long time when it comes to web applications development. 2010 is light years away from 2002, and it is perfect timing to break new grounds in fashion that involves digital media, as step that the British Fashion Council is taking.

www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/digitalschedule is the URL for this new element of London Fashion Week, where a global audience will be able to view fashion shows live from the BFC show venue at Somerset House, as well as those of select designers who will live-stream their shows from other venues in London.

The fashion films on the Digital Schedule will be presented by the designer, many in a newly dedicated Digital Space at Somerset House, whilst some will be premiered online. All designers showing in the official show venue at London Fashion Week will have the opportunity to live stream their show, reaching a larger audience of both industry professionals and consumers.

Leveraging the power of social networking, the BFC will be driving audiences to the Digital Schedule through e-marketing, Facebook and Twitter.

Already on the schedule are: Hussein Chalayan, a designer at the vanguard of integrating fashion and technology who will present three of his most iconic films from the past decade and Boudicca, another pioneer of the fashion film genre, will be showing a film from their archive.

Fashion film is developing into a popular medium for designers to reach new audiences and present their collections in new ways. Other designers presenting films for February will include Antoni & Alison, Cassette Playa, Craig Lawrence, Danielle Scutt, JW Anderson, LP.BG and Twenty8Twelve. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will show their film Love & Money – 50 Years of Creative Britain – to launch the Digital Schedule at Somerset House on the Friday morning.

[SARA CONDE]