Burberry and Raf Simons cancel their London Fashion Week shows following the death of the Queen

Fashion houses Burberry and Raf Simons have cancelled their shows at London Fashion Week as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen.

The British and Belgian designers each issued statements announcing they would pull out of the event as the country enters a period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.

For now, the British Fashion Council has said London Fashion Week will still go ahead and will open in the capital on Friday, 16 September – but celebrations would be muted.

A statement from the BFC said: ‘London Fashion Week is a business-to-business event, and an important moment for designers to show their collections at a specific moment in the fashion calendar, we recognise the work that goes into this moment.

‘Therefore, shows and presentations of collections can continue, but we are asking that designers respect the mood of the nation and period of national mourning by considering the timing of their image release.’

While many fashion houses have not yet commented on whether they will proceed with their LFW shows, Burberry and Raf Simons were quick to announce they were pulling out.

A spokesperson for Raf Simons told FEMAIL: ‘Following the devastating news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we have decided to cancel the Raf Simons catwalk show on the 16th of September. 

British fashion house Burberry has announced it will not be going ahead with its London Fashion Week show (pictured: A catwalk model during the Burberry A/W 2023 Womenswear Collection Presentation in March 2022)

‘As the country enters a period of official mourning, we will pause during this time of great sadness. 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.’

They added updates would be issued on the designer’s Spring/Summer collection at a later date.

Burberry also confirmed its show, initially scheduled to take place on Saturday 17 September, would not go ahead.

In 2018 the Queen made a surprise appearance at London Fashion Week where she sat in the front row next to editor-in-chief of Vogue US, Anna Wintour.

The then-91-year-old was pictured sharing a joke with the long-standing editor as the pair watched Richard Quinn’s show.

Her Majesty then presented him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon. 

Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming the death of Her Majesty at around 6.30pm.

It read: ‘The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

‘The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.’