Stockholm Fashion Week Canceled Itself in the Name of Sustainability
Stockholm Fashion Week, which was set to take place next month, has been canceled. Not because of any logistical mishaps or backstage drama, but rather out of concerns for its impact on the environment.
In fact, the Swedish Fashion Council named sustainability concerns and desire to move away from the traditional fashion week format as driving reasons behind the decision.
“Stepping away from the conventional fashion week model has been a difficult, but much considered, decision,” sais Jennie Rosén, CEO of the Swedish Fashion Council, according to i-D*. “We need to put the past to rest and to stimulate the development of a platform that is relevant for today’s fashion industry … [and] support brands in their development of next-generation fashion experiences. By doing this we can adapt to new demands, reach sustainability goals and be able to set new standards for fashion.”
As sustainable and ethical sourcing moves to the center of the global fashion conversation, many consumers are shifting away from fast fashion and demanding transparency from brands. Luxury giants like Gucci, Prada, Miu Miu, and Burberry are now fur-free, and the city of Los Angeles recently became the largest city in the United States to ban fur sales.
Also as a response to shifts in consumer demand, designers have been experimenting with tweaks to the customary runway show for the past several years, with some opting for a “see now, buy now” model and others hosting appointment-only presentations. The New York-based designer Alexander Wang, previously a fixture at New York Fashion Week, decided last year to show outside of the traditional fashion week calendar of February and September, in an attempt to close the gap between the initial reveal and actual product drop.
The SFC has yet to release details on what we can expect moving forward, but it plans to reveal a new strategy later this year. Though, as WWD points out, Scandinavian fashion fans still have the much large Copenhagen Fashion Week, in neighboring Denmark, to look forward to.
