What’s the most sustainable way to get around during London Fashion Week?
As London Fashion Week draws to a close, Olivia Petter reflects on the most eco-friendly way to travel across the city for the occasion
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Your support makes all the difference.As any seasoned London Fashion Week attendee will tell you, one of the most arduous parts is getting around.
Sure, to the outside eye the biannual industry event might seem like it’s all pomp and pageantry, with fashion editors swanning around in their limousines, clad head-to-toe in couture as they preview the forthcoming collections.
The reality, however, it somewhat different.
Every show, you see, takes place in a different venue in the city. And yes, often they are miles apart from one another, even though they’re next to each other on the schedule.
Cue scenes straight out of The Devil Wears Prada featuring hundreds of fashion writers sprinting over zebra crossings, laptop in one hand, oat milk flat white in the other – that’s one cliche that sadly does ring true for many of us.
You’d think the easiest way to get between catwalks would be to use the city’s public transport. Alas, this tactic doesn’t bode well when you’re reporting on the shows, often with just 20 minutes or so to spare before the next one.
It’s not exactly easy writing copy on your phone when you’re on a packed tube with no wifi and sandwiched between commuters and tourists.
Hence why so many of us end up getting taxis. Not only is this one of the most expensive ways to travel around the city, it’s also one of the least sustainable.
Enter Volvo, whose C40 Recharge car ferried The Independent’s fashion team around for the duration of this season.
The car itself is 100 per cent electric and boasts an interior made from premium sustainable materials, forming part of the brand’s committment to being an all-electric car company by 2030. It’s also entirely leather-free.
Comfortable, spacious, and with plenty of room to sit back and write between shows, the car offered an ideal eco-friendly solution to LFW’s transport problem.
Not only was there plenty of room for snacks (essential when you’re travelling between shows, where there is almost never any food or drink) but our delightful chauffer, Paul, gave us the five-star FROW treatment by always insisting on opening the door for us.
He also kindly regaled us with stories about some of his other A-list clients, including Rod Stewart.
Having a car at LFW is an absolute game-changer. Being able to have one that is sustainable is an added bonus.
The Independent was loaned a Volvo for London Fashion Week.
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