Burberry and Raf Simons have canceled their London Fashion Week shows following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Her Majesty died at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon (September 8), aged 96.
London Fashion Week is scheduled to take place next week, from September 15 to 19, but Burberry has said its Spring/Summer 2023 show on September 17 will not go ahead “as a mark of respect”.
A Burberry spokesman said The Independent: “It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty the Queen. Out of respect, we have made the decision to cancel our Spring/Summer 2023 runway show which will take place on September 17 in London.”
The brand took to its social media channels to pay tribute to the late monarch, writing: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.
“We join the royal family in mourning her loss.”
Raf Simons also announced on Friday (September 9) that he would be canceling his LFW show next week. In a statement, the brand said: “Following the devastating news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we have decided to cancel the Raf Simons show on September 16.
“As the country enters a period of official mourning, we will pause during this time of great sadness.”
The Queen’s cause of death is not yet known, but she had been suffering from movement problems since October last year.
Her final act of public duty was on Tuesday (September 6), when she hosted the UK’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral.
The British Fashion Council (BFC) has confirmed that London Fashion Week will go ahead as planned.
A statement released on Thursday evening said: “London Fashion Week is a business-to-business event and an important moment for designers to showcase their collections at a specific moment in the fashion calendar, we recognize the work that goes on at the moment.
“Therefore, shows and collections presentations can go ahead, but we are asking that designers respect the mood of the nation and the period of national mourning by considering the timing of their image release.”
The BFC has also recommended postponing or canceling “non-essential” events such as openings or holidays as the UK enters a 10-day mourning period, which is customary after the death of a monarch.
While the date and details of the Queen’s funeral have not yet been confirmed, it would traditionally take place 10 days after the monarch’s death, so in this case it should fall on September 18 or 19.
The BFC has said performances to take place on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral “will have to be rescheduled”. He also said that designers with retail stores “may want to consider 24[-hour] immediate closure, black stripes for staff and closure on the day of the funeral”.
