BFC cancels London Fashion Week’s June edition

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has cancelled the June edition of London Fashion Week (LFW) as it looks to pivot towards the provision of “vital commercial opportunities for British designers”.

LFW June initially launched under the title ‘London Collections: Men’ in 2012 and by 2024 has assumed its new name, yet still retained a focus on emphasising menswear labels. The rebranding intended to reflect the more co-ed approach to showing that has increasingly been undertaken by designers, however, as the number of brands participating under June timetable became more and more minimal, its relevance was brought into question.

At the beginning of 2024, the BFC had already opted to cancel its menswear-dedicated show in January due to scheduling conflicts with more prominent events, like Italy’s Pitti Uomo. This came as part of a sweeping refresh of the organisation’s overarching strategy as the council commenced on a transition period under the direction of its chairman David Pemsel, who joined the board towards the end of 2022.

Waning prominence of LFW June ignites commercially-focused projects

In a letter addressed to BFC members, Pemsel said the BFC was on a mission to reposition itself as a “catalyst for change”, with a goal to funnel more support into local designers and brands in a bid to revive the local fashion industry. LFW June, which only ran for one edition under this title, set out on the premise of “igniting a cultural moment”, spotlighting different fashion communities, from Savile Row to the LGBTQIA+ community.

This mindset has now also been infused into LFW’s February and September editions, as LFW June will cease to exist in the coming season. Instead, the BFC is funnelling its efforts into commercial projects for designers via, among other things, the London Show Rooms, which are once again set to take place in Paris from June 26 to July 1. To counter the loss of a menswear-focused platform, this year’s Show Rooms are steered towards brands within this category.

The cancellation of LFW June was confirmed to Vogue Business by outgoing BFC chief executive, Caroline Rush, who told the media outlet: “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. We recognise the challenges the sector faces both in the UK and globally and remain committed to amplifying the voices of British menswear designers as they navigate an ever-changing fashion landscape and will continue to adapt and find ways to platform our brilliant British menswear business.”

A spokesperson for the council added in a statement to FashionUnited: “This June, our focus will be on championing British menswear and strengthening its presence both locally and internationally. Taking a digital-first approach, we will collaborate with buyers and media partners and leverage our own channels to spotlight the evolving story of British menswear, introducing and promoting designers to new audiences. This will be woven into our existing content streams, highlighting British designers presenting in other markets and exploring the evolution of menswear."

The BFC have provided FashionUnited with a statement further confirming the news, which has been added to this article March 4, 11:25 CET.