Vivienne Westwood To Replace Catwalk With Digital Presentation

Dame Vivienne Westwood is replacing her regular catwalk fashion show with a digital presentation.

The British designer and environmental activist, whose eponymous ready-to-wear label traditionally puts on a co-ed show within the frame of the Fashion Week calendar, is stepping back from the catwalk next year, WWD reports.

Instead, the brand will showcase its Autumn 2018 collection via a short film and series of photographs that will be emailed to press and buyers during the London Men's Collections, which runs from January 6-8.

"We're looking forward to showing you our winter collection, which instead of a catwalk, we will present through the form of film and imagery, so you can get a good look at it and love it as much as we do," Dame Vivienne told WWD. "Buy less, choose well, make it last."

The move is symbolic of a wider trend within the fashion industry for scaling down runway activity. Earlier this month, British accessories designer Anya Hindmarch announced plans to replace her catwalk shows with four yearly events -- with the first being rolled out during London Fashion Week next February. Meanwhile several major fashion houses have been streamlining their separate menswear and womenswear shows into singular, co-ed productions, with recent converts to the strategy including Balenciaga, Salvatore Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta.