Image: Courtesy bbbA AA CLOU D, London College of Fashion (LCF)
The British Fashion Council has just announced the cancellation of London Fashion Week’s June edition, pivoting instead to strengthen its commercial presence in Paris through the London Show Rooms showcase.
In what signals a significant shift in strategy, the BFC is redirecting its energies toward creating more substantial commercial opportunities for British designers. The London Show Rooms in Paris will run from June 26 to July 1, offering a concentrated platform for sales and international press engagement outside the traditional runway format.
Commercial Reorientation
Speaking about this strategic pivot, outgoing BFC CEO Caroline Rush expressed hopes that the Paris showroom would provide designers with opportunities to “generate sales and develop their relationships with international media outside of a show environment,” underscoring the BFC’s commitment to cultivating tangible commercial opportunities for British talent.
This isn’t entirely new territory for the BFC, which reintroduced its Paris showroom in September 2024 for Spring/Summer 2025 collections after taking a break following January 2023. I’ve observed the Council’s thoughtful recalibration of commercial support for the region’s emerging and independent brands over recent months. Just this February, for the Autumn/Winter 2025 season, they launched a pop-up London Fashion Week Shop on Regent Street featuring standout brands including Ahluwalia, Nicholas Daley, and Saul Nash—an initiative that engaged directly with the public.
The Evolution of London’s June Showcase
Looking back at the June edition’s history reveals its winding evolution. Initially launched with a menswear focus as ‘London Collections: Men’ in 2012 before rebranding to London Fashion Week Men’s in 2017, the event once attracted substantial international attention with powerhouse names like Alexander McQueen, JW Anderson, Wales Bonner, and Craig Green gracing its schedule.
The pandemic years brought significant format changes, with the event turning co-ed in June 2020 and shifting to digital presentations throughout 2020 and 2021. Post-pandemic, the June 2022 edition returned with a smaller but energetic lineup featuring exciting newcomers like Ahluwalia, Labrum London, and Robyn Lynch, complemented by Martine Rose’s off-schedule presentation.
However, recent years have witnessed a continuous contraction of the schedule. The June 2023 edition featured just a handful of presentations from Saul Nash, SMR days, and Qasimi Rising. Last year, the BFC experimented with a new format centered around an exhibition of London design at the Institute of Contemporary Art, along with cultural celebrations of London’s menswear scene, though the formal schedule remained sparse with shows from Denzilpatrick, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, and Qasimi, plus a presentation from Harri.
Commercial Realities and Future Direction
The dwindling scale of the June edition has undeniably affected its commercial viability, with many designers finding it increasingly difficult to justify showing in London during this period. Additionally, with February and September editions now essentially co-ed, some menswear designers have expressed concern about the lack of dedicated space for men’s collections and misalignment with the buying calendar.
Addressing these challenges, the BFC has indicated that the June showroom in Paris will maintain a menswear focus and plans to engage with buyers and press through a “digital-first approach.”
Rush summarized the strategy shift by noting, “By scaling back to more targeted programmes this June in London and Paris, we aim to create strong foundations to amplify the message of our brilliant British menswear businesses.” She acknowledged the sector’s challenges both domestically and globally while reaffirming the BFC’s commitment to supporting British menswear designers “as they navigate an ever-changing fashion landscape.”
The move represents a pragmatic response to evolving industry dynamics, with the BFC continuing to “adapt and find ways to platform our brilliant British menswear business” in a challenging market environment.
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