For many brands, the crown comes before the clothes.
When London Fashion Week kicked off on Sept. 16, brands have made last-minute arrangements to honor Queen Elizabeth II, whose life and legacy was commemorated in a funeral service at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.
Every spring/summer 2023 show and event scheduled for the 19th have been canceled, with many of the shows resuming on Sept. 20—the final day of LFW, reported WWD. Richard Quinn, who received the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in 2018, will close out LFW.
Ahead of the week-long event, Burberry and Raf Simons were the first to announce that they would cancel their shows, with the former pushing its show to Sept. 26.
"As the country enters a period of official mourning, we will pause during this time of great sadness," the Raf Simons team said in a statement to E! News. "We will take this time to respect the legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her 70 years on the throne. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family and the people of the Commonwealth."
Despite the cancellations, the British Fashion Council previously stated that LFW would continue.
However, they offered suggestions on how to remain respectful after the Queen passed on Sept. 8 at the age of 99.
"London Fashion Week as a business-to-business event will go ahead, scaled back to shows and presentations with parties and non-core business events cancelled," the British Fashion Council said in a statement on Sept. 9, per Vogue Business, adding that they would be "respecting the mood of the nation and paying tribute to Elizabeth II."
Many labels honored the Queen before displaying their runway looks, with several holding a moment of silence.
According to Reuters, Spanish brand Sohuman ended its Sept. 16 show by applying smeared eye makeup on its models, which created the illusion they had been crying. In addition, they carried a photo of the late British monarch and either had drawings of the crown or "RIP" on their hands.
(This story was originally published on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022 at 4:46 p.m. PST)