London Fashion Week is shaking up its schedule ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral on September 19.

LONDON — Designers attending London Fashion Week were forced to make last-minute adjustments the timing of their shows given the period of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the funeral scheduled to take place on Monday.

Following the Queen's death last Thursday, the UK government has urged businesses not to cancel the commercial events during the mourning period, with the exception of September 19 which has been declared a public holiday.

More than a million people are expected to descend on London to pay their respects to the Queen, who will lie in state at Westminster Hall from Wednesday until the funeral at 11 a.m. on Monday.

Transport for London said services will be "very busy" with guest passengers "to be expected a lot extra space for their journeys and to avoid driving where possible," while Downing Street warned on Monday that commuters may want to "modify their work habits accordingly."

London Fashion Week was originally scheduled to take place September 16-20, and it will still go on all days except Mondays, when no shows or events will take place.

The British Fashion Council, which organizes the week, has also asked designers and brands to refrain from hosting parties, or the usual festive events that mark the week.

The organization is also keen to preserve what has become an important marketing moment for creators, whose businesses have been damaged during two years of confinement due to COVID-19.

Instead, the BFC is planning a celebration in honor of London Fashion Week" with a focus on London as a creative capital” in October, which will include citywide parties and store activations.

Most Monday events have been moved to September 20, which originally had no only two shows: the South Korean fashion brand Bmuet(te) and Canadian-Chinese designer Susan Fang have been shortlisted for the LVMH award.

Richard Quinn, the first recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, moved his show from Du Sunday evening to September 20 at 7 p.m., to close London Fashion Week.

According to industry sources, Quinn will present an all-black collection, paying homage to the monarch, which launched her career in fashion when she sat front row and presented him with the award in 2018. It was her very first visit to London Fashion Week.

Over the weekend, American fashion designer Harris Reed explained why the week of the fashion had to take place.< /p>

He said his fellow young designers "invested all of their brand budget into their runways to generate sales and brand awareness," with the ultimate goal of growing their businesses, rather than having to liquidate or restructure them. It's more important than ever to support and be there for small brands at Fashion Week. of London,” he said.

London-based Greek fashion designer Eftychia Karamolegkou, who was due to present her Spring 2023 collection next Monday morning , confessed that for emerging brands like hers, not doing a show is just "not affordable".

"I don't...