September will culminate the celebrations for the 40^th anniversary of LFW (LFW40), with the BFC hosting various activations and events, celebrating the creative community and telling the story and impact of LFW globally. The LFW40 celebrations and 180 The Strand highlights will also include LFW40 Bookstore and LFW40 10 Downing Street Event.

The BFC will host a LFW40 bookstore at 180 The Strand venue, showcasing over 150 rare and unique books focused on fashion, culture and creativity, showcasing the impact of the creative industries over the last few decades and highlighting the resilience of the fashion industry and its ability to adapt to ever-changing political landscapes. This has been curated by Reference Point & Record28, BFC said in a press release.

As part of the LFW40 celebrations, the prime minister will host the BFC and their guests at a 10 Downing Street reception to celebrate and promote the British fashion industry alongside senior sector leaders, government ministers, and the BFC network members. This will provide an invaluable opportunity to introduce the sector's priorities to the new government and maximise the potential momentum that a change in government offers the industry.

In celebration of LFW40, there will be an expanded version of City Wide Celebration (CWC) with the programme of events extending to Manchester and Newcastle for the first time. CWC is a programme of over 1,000 unique experiences and activities open to the public from over 350 brands throughout September taking place in London, Manchester and Newcastle. Curated by the BFC, CWC celebrates the very best of British city culture and aims to support and promote retail across the UK while driving the fashion conversation forward through industry wide participation and partnerships.

The schedule boasts 72 schedule designers, 48 catwalk shows, 17 presentations, 63 events and 17 digital activations which are available on the official digital hub. This season, Hu Bing will celebrate his 10^th anniversary as the BFC LFW ambassador for China and will launch Hu Bing Selects, a new initiative that provides a platform for Chinese design talent on a global stage and supports the BFC to build closer ties with the Chinese fashion industry. This season, Chinese designer, Consistence will present their collection at the BFC NEWGEN space as part of Hu Bing Selects. 

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)