Vivienne Westwood will present her autumn-winter 2018 collection digitally rather than on a catwalk show – as part of on ongoing bid to make her brand more environmentally conscious.
Westwood, an outspoken advocate of environmental issues, announced yesterday that she will no longer stage catwalk shows – even though she has done so for over 35 years.
The digital switchover will come into play for next season's London Fashion Week Men's, scheduled to take place in January
Instead of showing her designs on the catwalk, the designer will present her latest collection "through the form of film and imagery" on 2 January 2018.
"We're looking forward to showing our winter collection, which instead of a catwalk, we will present through the form of film and imagery, so you can get a good look at it and love it as much as we do," she said.
Westwood, 76, is credited with for bringing punk fashion into the mainstream. She began her career making clothes for Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren's boutique on the King's Road, London.
She is often vocal about political and environmental issues, and was among 282 leading creative figures to sign an open letter opposing Brexit at that time.
Her latest move appears to be part of her ongoing sustainability agenda. The designer signed off her announcement with the note: "Buy less, choose well, make it last."
It follows a string of fashion week shake-ups, which have included brands and designers disrupting schedules, and choosing to show both mens and womenswear collections at the same time.
Last year, Burberry announced its collections will be available to purchase straight after they are shown on the runway, as opposed to the typical four-month delay, and British designer Giles Deacon decided to show his collection during Paris couture week in July as opposed to London's ready-to-wear fashion week in September to better accommodate his customers.
Other London designers, such as Marios Schwab and Matthew Williamson, have also quit the fashion week schedule altogether and instead operate through showroom appointments with in-season deliveries.