- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
Sustainable designs to take centre stage at London fashion
Emerging and sustainable designers will get a chance to shine at London Fashion Week from Friday with major brands such as Burberry, Victoria Beckham and Vivienne Westwood either absent or sticking to digital formats for the five-day catwalk extravaganza.
Burberry said without explanation it would hold a live show in March that is not part of the event, while ex-Spice girl Beckham -- who last held a live show in London two years ago -- has spoken of cost issues.
Following in the footsteps of designer brands such as Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, meanwhile, Serbian designer Roksanda Ilincic will be selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs), offering digital ownership of a 3D image of a dress from her label.
The week kicks off with sustainable label SOHUMAN, created by Spaniard Javier Aparici who quit a career in finance to work in fashion and promises "radical transparency" on the factories used to make his garments.
As sustainability and upcycling become industry buzzwords, there will also be interest in Tuesday's shows by Britain's Bethany Williams and Ireland's Richard Malone.
Williams' materials include abandoned festival tents for garments and book waste for bags while Malone's creations feature fragments of materials including scrap leather.
- Beckham, Burberry -
The London event, which will showcase autumn/winter 2022 collections, was held entirely virtually a year ago as it coincided with a national lockdown. Live catwalk shows resumed last September.
This time there will be nearly 40 such shows including Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard, Roksanda, Erdem, Rejina Pyo and Ozwald Boateng whose last-minute surprise addition to the schedule will be his first at London fashion for 12 years.
Other designers are sticking to digital formats, such as punk icon Westwood, who will present her latest creations in a video.
Burberry confirmed to AFP it will hold a live catwalk show in London on March 11, outside of London Fashion Week. No further details were given on the decision.
It will be the brand's first live event in two years, after it participated in London's 2020 fashion week programme.
Beckham last held a live show for her luxury brand in London in February 2020, then put on online shows in September 2020 and February 2021.
The former Spice Girl told the Evening Standard in April 2021 that she would "probably not" be able to afford a live show in September that year due to the high costs. Her brand did not participate.
Emerging designers to look out for this week include Albanian-born Nensi Dojaka, who last year won the prestigious LVMH prize for young fashion designers, and Steven Stokey-Daley, creative director of Liverpool-based S.S. Daley.
There will also be a chance to spot future stars at Sunday shows put on by Central Saint Martins, a top fashion college, and Fashion East, a non-profit talent incubator.
In an innovation introduced during Britain's first national lockdown in June 2020, the catwalk shows will be available to view online on the organiser's website.
- 'Very challenging years' -
After being hit hard by the pandemic, the British fashion sector, which employed about 890,000 people in 2019, is seeking a route to recovery.
Caroline Rush, the chief executive of the British Fashion Council, which organises the fashion week, told AFP that the industry has had "a very challenging couple of years", exacerbated by Brexit-related changes that entered full force on January 31, 2020.
"Brexit continues to be a challenge for the fashion industry... whether it is tariffs or paperwork, visas for people to be able to work in different countries," Rush said.
The lifting of pandemic travel restrictions has allowed at least some international visitors to attend the fashion week.
"We won't have attendance from many Asian countries that still aren't able to travel," Rush said. "But business can still be done."
A 2021 report published by Oxford Economics for Creative England and the Creative Industries Federation found that with the right investment, the creative sector could recover from the pandemic faster than the UK economy as a whole.
It estimated growth of more than 26 percent in the four years to 2025, which would contribute around £132.1 billion ($180 billion, 153 billion euros) to the UK economy.
London's five-day showcase will be followed by fashion weeks in Milan and Paris later this month.
S.Pimentel--PC