Designers looking for new ways to show

As the fashion week month long marathon gets underway again, more than ever industry insiders are questioning the format, looking for something new in an age where digital culture means every image ends up on a blog and straight to

a laptop and therefore exclusive runways are no longer the best way of promoting their labels."There has been a massive change," says photographer Nick Knight, founder of SHOWstudio.com, which live-streams shows as well as interviews and fashion shoots. "The public are seeing clothes as they are shown, rather than in magazines three months later. And they want them when they see them."

Although there has been a sudden influx of online retail sites, which have proved a successful way of connecting with customers in real time, such as Moda Operandi, where you can pre-order new season collections straight from the runway and Burberry, where you can now pre-order online directly from the catwalk show and pieces arrive up to six weeks later.

But shows remain the primary way of communicating one's vision or message. When London Fashion Week opens next week, more than £100m-worth of orders will be placed. It will host 5,000-plus visitors at more than 70 shows and 40 presentations – all of those who enter the site must be accredited, with a professional reason to be there.

But does that make sense in the age of the amateur, where any fashion-obsessed teenager can create their own blog and online following, and when some of them end up on the front row?  Designer Richard Nicoll's shows have been a highlight of the capital's schedule for several years, but this season will show his collection as a live digital installation. It’s about engaging in a more intimate way with the traditional catwalk format becoming restrictive.

Nicoll's view is becoming increasingly prevalent at a time when many labels are launching up to six collections a year, sometimes more. At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld oversees the label's main collections, as well as resort, pre-fall, couture and an annual metiers d'art exposition to showcase the craftsmanship of the atelier.

To this end, Céline's creative director, Phoebe Philo, has banned photography and tweeting backstage at her shows and from showroom appointments. And she has this season announced she will conduct a small presentation instead of a runway show.

It’s a progression to note and as London fashion week commences, it will be interesting to see the success of these more intimate gatherings.

Photo: Richard Nicoll SS12