LFW relocating to Soho for SS16

London Fashion Week is moving from Somerset House where it has been held since 2009 to the Brewer Street Car Park in Soho for spring/summer 2016 to be in “close proximity to major retail spaces”.

The move, which is being hailed as a “brilliant development” for LFW by the Mayor of London’s office, will see the 62nd edition of London Fashion Week spanning two floors of the Brewer Street Car Park, not far from Regent Street and Oxford Circus, to become the new central LFW venue hosting the BFC Show Space and the Designer Showrooms, as well as space for LFW guest registration, a photographers’ area and press, buyer and sponsor spaces.

Munira Mirza, deputy mayor for education and culture, said: “Brewer Street Car Park as the host venue is a brilliant development for London Fashion Week. With its position in Soho, it is at the heart of an area that has long been associated with fashion and creativity in general. I am sure the move will literally drive even more interest in one of the most important sectors for our economy.”

London Fashion Week moving to Brewer Street

This will mark LFW’s fifth location, having previously been held at Somerset House, the Natural History Museum, Duke of York Square and Battersea Park, and the move to Brewer Street is part of LFW’s plans to “increase its footprint across the capital”, according to a press statement released by the British Fashion Council.

Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council added: “The long term growth of the UK’s designer fashion market is reflected geographically in this move that will see London Fashion Week designers showcasing collections in one of London’s most vibrant, diverse and creative hubs set within a mile of Bond Street, Dover Street, Mount Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.

“The new and exciting venue has already been dubbed as Brewer Street’s ‘Fashion Park’ and will offer freedom and flexibility to designers who will be able to transform the show space to reflect their own aesthetics and identity."

Brewer Street Car Park dates back to 1929 and stands as an iconic art deco building designed by architect JJ Joass, and this won’t be the first time the venue has hosted catwalk shows, Henry Holland showed his House of Holland collections here for a number of seasons, and last season the BFC and British Council used the space to exhibit over 110 emerging fashion designers from nearly 30 countries as part of the International Fashion Showcase, the largest LFW exhibition that is free and open to the public.

The provisional schedule for spring/summer 2016 is expected to be announced week commencing July 20, and it will be interesting to see if some on-schedule designers who have previously showcased their collections in the main show space decide to opt for an off-site venue for next season.

This move follows last month’s announcement that the Sunglass Hut would be the new principal sponsor, succeeding Vodafone which had been the headline sponsor for seven seasons. Other official sponsors include American Express, DHL, eBay, London Evening Standard, Maybelline New York, The May Fair Hotel, Mercedes-Benz, Swatch, Scavi + Ray, Toni & Guy and Topshop.

London Fashion Week SS16 will take place from September 18-22.

Image: Brewer Street Car Park