London Fashion Week suffers as a result of corona virus

This year, at the London Fashion Week, attendees came prepared with hand sanitizers and face masks in tow mainly due to the global anxiety about the spread of the corona virus. The show however began, minus its usual glory, as the models of the famous Chinese designer, Yuhan Wang, walked the ramp for the opening.

At a time where the virus originated from China, Yuhan Wang overcame the difficulties to present a first solo collection of the Victorian-inspired waisted jackets in floral prints and lace-trimmed outfits accompanied by chic pearl jewelry.

“Due to the virus, all the hand-crafted things that were made in China weren’t able to arrive. All the factories shut down and the couriers are not working so I had to cut down the looks,” said Wang, explaining the delayed shipments of some of her items and how the whole situation affected her designs overall.

The number of people attending the London Fashion Week was considerably low this year, as expected by the Chief Executive of the British Council, due to the corona outbreak and said that the shut down of transport links and factors in China was affecting the country overall.

The virus which originated in China, has ended up affecting the fashion industry as a while, leading to restrictions on travelling and working in China, that is one of the largest producers of textiles. Caroline Rush, Chief Executive, said that LFW has to take special precautions against its spread by providing anti-bacterial hand sanitizers and undertaking regular deep cleaning to all of its venues.

This year a low Chinese attendance has drastically affected the fashion brands since Chinese spending accounted for over a third of luxury global market sales in 2018, according to Bain & Company. The corona-virus outbreak has forced the cancellation of many international business gatherings and sporting events too. Shanghai Fashion Week has been postponed from its end of March date.