Economic gloom clouds London Fashion Week

AFP/File – Models present creations by Maria Grachvogel. Designers at London Fashion Week, which starts Friday, …

LONDON, (AFP) – Designers at London Fashion Week, which starts Friday, have reacted to the credit crunch by toning down extravagant collections and opting for intimate showings rather than catwalk spectaculars.

Names like Antoni & Alison, Duro Olowu and Maria Grachvogel -- whose clients include Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and Victoria Beckham -- have organised smaller scale "presentations" for journalists and buyers.

Less costly than a catwalk show, most of them will use plastic rather than human mannequins.

"Given the current economic climate, I feel it is more a time of focusing on genuine creativity rather than unnecessary extravagance," Olowu told the Daily Telegraph.

"With a catwalk show, you are looking at spending 25,000-40,000 pounds, often more, and given what has happened in the last few months, many designers are having to reassess their business choices."

via yahoo news fashion