Ralph and Russo cancels couture presentation

London-based couture and ready-to-wear label Ralph and Russo have confirmed that they will sit out the spring 2021 couture season, following concerns about the ongoing pandemic.

In a short statement, Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo, said: “As the Covid 19 situation is worsening and due to Covid restrictions we have taken the decision not to proceed with our spring/summer 2021 Couture collection and presentation.”

The news comes just days after the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode announced that Paris Men’s Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week would still go ahead, however, without audiences due to Covid-19 restrictions in the country.

The label added that it will return to showcasing its couture collection from July 2021.

Last season in July 2020, Ralph and Russo used a custom brand avatar to bring its first virtual couture collection to life, alongside real-life couture designs.

Ralph and Russo isn’t the only brand absent from the official schedule, Jean-Paul Gaultier has also postponed showcasing its highly anticipated one-off couture collection by Sacai’s Chitose Abe.

The French couturier announced a new strategy last March to invite a new designer every season to interpret the codes of the House of Gaultier, after shocking the industry by announcing that his January 2020 couture show would be his last. Japanese designer Abe marks the first of Gaultier’s guest designers.

These postponements mean that the July schedule, which is also expected to include the return of couture from Balenciaga, will be a highly anticipated event.

Image: courtesy of Ralph and Russo