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For 40 years, London Fashion Week has nurtured youthful, scrappy fashion talent. And for Autumn/Winter 2024, as the British Fashion Council (BFC) kicks off a year of anniversary celebrations, the city’s fledgling labels were keen to show that they are also growing up. Enter age-diverse runways, corpcore aesthetics and more refined, considered product offerings.
“The 40th anniversary of LFW marked a significant milestone, maintaining its eclectic fashion scene with inspiring street style,” says Mytheresa’s womenswear, kidswear and fine jewellery buying director Katie Rowland. “The event continued to nurture emerging talent, from Fashion East incubator to rising stars like Conner Ives and Ahluwalia, alongside established brands such as Erdem and Roksanda.”
“At Selfridges, we don’t only offer collections from the big luxury houses, but we buy from the younger, up-and-coming designers too,” says Bosse Myhr, director of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear at Selfridges. “That reflects London Fashion Week, which has always been a real breeding ground for young talent. The BFC’s Newgen has a real legacy at that: it gives young designers exposure, a show space and a platform.”
Trend alert: Corpcore, indie sleaze and performance
Many shows featured performances this season, following on from the pared-back show formats of a post-pandemic, quiet luxury era. Jewellery label Completedworks’s presentation featured a theatrical performance from Dame Joanna Lumley, who editors clambered to meet backstage. Tolu Coker’s sophomore show was inspired by roadside vendors in Accra; models walked past crates of lemons and potatoes to the sound of live guitar and a talking drummer. Paolo Carzana’s show featured a contemporary dance before the models walked. Saul Nash’s collection was inspired by the dress codes of London garage clubs, and included models dancing to a soundtrack mixed by Cktrl, with Engy on the mic; empty champagne bottles and a chequered dance floor across the runway; and railings at the ends of the runway to hold back guests.
Di Petsa’s “The Body as Prayer” show featured, among other things, a reading by the designer herself, as well as a procession element reminiscent of the Epitaphios service that takes place in Greek cities during Easter. “It’s really impressive for such a small brand to be putting on a show like that, with a live performance,” Myhr shares after the show at the Old Selfridges Hotel, which has played host to the Newgen runway since the pandemic.
In terms of trends, corpcore was on full display, mirroring the mood we’ve seen across AW24 so far. Sinéad O’Dwyer presented a collection of corporate dress and everyday items, including fitted stretch-poplin shirts, wide-legged tailored trousers and maxi culottes. At Dilara Findikoglu’s show, titled “Femme Vortex” to represent a reality outside of heteropatriarchal norms, the designer experimented with masculine shirts and blazers, juxtaposed by cinched corsets. Yuhan Wang’s show paid homage to female figures in the legal arena who have fought for justice, with a collection inspired by courtroom attire such as wide-leg wool trousers, pleated skirts and satin shirts with ribbon ties and lace. Models walked to a soundtrack of whimsical strings playing over the audio of court cases past. Srvc hosted its show on board a London bus, inspired by the everyday working woman.
Aaron Esh’s sophomore show was a favourite for indie sleaze lovers, complete with skinny jeans, gunmetal heels, black eye makeup and messy hair. Hosted in the Sarabande Foundation, where Esh has a residency, showgoers were greeted with coupes of Moët and bowls of cigarettes. The collection spoke to the glamour of the mundane, inspired by off-duty London models. “It’s not about them being supermodels, it’s about them being the girl — I see [model] Kiki [Willems] (who is also his neighbour) in Broadway Market in her jersey hoodie, but she walks for Chanel,” he says backstage. “They’re wearing their hoodie and sunglasses but in an elevated way through a very specific Haggerston, Dalston, Hackney lens — if you’re from here, you get it.”
Other trends across LFW included red and burgundy, extravagant faux fur and feathers, modern takes on eveningwear, statement coats and timeless black, according to Mytheresa’s Rowland, who says the e-tailer’s budgets are up: “We can confirm our plans for sales growth.”
London’s designers are growing up
Designers were preoccupied with maturity this season. At JW Anderson, the designer took the eclectic grandpa trend to womenswear, with a granny-inspired collection, partly influenced by British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. Models sported silver permed wigs, with blanket coats, cosy knits and tweed. The soundtrack featured the now-unfamiliar sound of someone dialling a landline. Anderson’s shows are known for their individuality and charm and AW24 didn’t disappoint, Rowland says.
Marques Almeida, returning to LFW for the first time since the pandemic, also focused on the notion of growing up. Their casting spanned decades, including the designers’ young children.
Some of the city’s fledgling labels also matured. Conner Ives’s show was titled “Swans”, inspired by debutante balls and featuring a cast of Ives’s friends, from schoolmates to muses Tish Weinstock and Ella Richards. Weinstock closed the show, walking out with an iPod and wired headphones, dressed in a bridal gown made from organza and headphone-wire lace that was found discarded in a headphone production facility in India next to the brand’s embroidery factory.
“We’re not talking about Y2K, we’re all so sick of it. I didn’t want to just be the ‘T-shirt designer’ or the ‘Y2K designer’, I wanted to be more grown up, a little bit more elegant, a little bit more aspirational,” Ives says after the show, between thanking his friends who had modelled. “It’s a maturing and it’s a re-evaluation of the business as well — for us, it used to be that you would see [a T-shirt] in the show but what you’d buy in the store would be so different because we do them all from vintage T-shirts. If you’re not going to be able to sell products that women see on the runway, what are we doing?”
Labrum celebrated its 10-year anniversary this season, with a polished collection, titled “Designed by an Immigrant: Journey of Colours”, a celebration of the value that immigrants give to society. The finale showpiece featured flags draped around a frame, representing countries involved in key migrations throughout history. “Our shows today have evolved into grander, more refined showcases, symbolising a maturation in both creative expression and presentation,” says founder Foday Dumbuya, highlighting that each collection has expanded the emphasis of craftsmanship, storytelling and brand purpose, growing more and more influential attendees. “As the brand marks this milestone, the journey from humble beginnings to a globally recognised name underscores a commitment to authenticity, cultural richness and inclusivity.”
Edward Crutchley also celebrated its 10-year anniversary this season, by returning to the origins of the brand. “I used to think about mixing material cultures from around the world. There’s never one point of inspiration... Which is the spirit of London. I hate the term ‘melting pot’, but what else can you say? It’s the essence of London Fashion Week, and it’s the essence of what this collection is about.”
Closing the week, Burberry continued its ode to Britishness — a fitting end to a season that showcased London’s strengths. “I thought the Burberry show was pretty reflective of this London Fashion Week as a whole,” says Vogue’s Liam Hess. “It felt like a lot of designers were really doubling down on the codes of their brands. For Daniel Lee, that seemed to be leaning into the Burberry classics — very commercial trench coats and leather outerwear, without too many bells and whistles or gimmicks — and casting a previous generation of Burberry girls in the form of Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson and Lily Cole.” The soundtrack featured British singer Amy Winehouse, while actress Marisa Abela — who plays Winehouse in a soon-to-be-released biopic — sat on the front row.
Buyers pointed out the need for larger brands to anchor LFW. “It’s important to also have something like Burberry on the schedule. An international super brand that will round up the week nicely,” says Selfridges’s Myhr.
Looking ahead
As the industry celebrates 40 years of LFW, they’re also thinking about how to support British designers over the next 40. Some are calling for greater institutional and government support.
“The government should provide financial support through grants, loans, or subsidies to help designers cover the costs associated with producing and showcasing their collections. This support can make participating in LFW more feasible and attractive for emerging talent,” says Dumbuya, emphasising a need for business mentorship too. He also would like to see investments to improve the infrastructure such as show venues, transportation and logistics, as well as collaborations with trade organisations to boost international attention. “Initiatives like fashion missions, trade shows, and buyer-seller meets can showcase the talent of London designers to a global audience, attracting buyers to invest in their collections in London.”
Designers also highlight the pace of the industry. “I think we need to reset our expectations of young designers. I think the system expects exciting shows, big collections, each being better than the last, and I think that those expectations come at such great cost both financially and mentally,” says Srvc creative director Ricky Harriott. “It is so important that we allow designers to thrive and showcase their work in ways that benefit them and their businesses, not the ego of the fashion system.”
For Esh, who was born and raised in London, the city’s range of talent incubation programmes and sense of community stand out from other fashion capitals. “I feel very well supported. There’s Newgen, there’s Fashion East, there’s the Sarabande Foundation,” he says. The Sarabande Foundation provided Esh with the show space for free, which, for the designer, sums up the way the London fashion community pulls together to help each other. “This is the city where you’ll be supported.”
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