The front row at Fashion Week is no longer the best way for designers to make an impact

London has already eschewed fur and is increasing the diversity of models – but how can designers ensure their clothes don’t cost the Earth to create, asks Harriet Hall

Saturday 15 February 2020 01:51 GMT
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The industry is finally paying to attention to the environmental costs
The industry is finally paying to attention to the environmental costs

Anyone who’s ever watched Meryl Streep’s turn as glacial cold magazine editor Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada might have an inkling of how absurd the fashion industry can be. Every year as The Independent lifestyle team gears up to cover the ready-to-wear fashion shows, this farcicality comes sharply into focus once more.

Suddenly, where you sit and who you’re sitting with matters (although, of course, it doesn’t). Whether you’re an editor, reporter, buyer, Instagrammer or stylist will affect which shows you get into (or whether you’re mates with the press team). How you dress is of the greatest importance (unless, of course, you’re actually reporting, in which case how comfortable your shoes are and how much battery your laptop has trumps this).

This is the Academy Awards of the fashion industry, when all eyes are on this world, judging its creations of the past six months. How much buyers and press like what is shown on the catwalks this season will determine which trends fly and which flop. The stakes are high.

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