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This season, London Fashion Week looked to the past, while building foundations for the future.
As part of the event’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, the British Fashion Council (BFC) asked Vogue chief critic and BFC ambassador for emerging talent Sarah Mower, and renowned photographer and creative director Robin Derrick to curate a retrospective. The exhibition, which snaked around the walls of the Newgen showspace at 180 Studios, featured a timeline of images from iconic fashion shows, quotes from the people who have been pivotal in building London Fashion Week (LFW) over the years, as well as a list with every designer that has shown over the past four decades.
The celebration comes amid a dark time for the industry, particularly following the collapse of e-tailer Matches and a number of brands entering administration. “It’s not been the easiest [running an independent brand in the current environment],” says London-born Indian-Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwalia. “You’re operating in a landscape that’s more difficult than it was previously, but you’re competing in a marketplace that has conglomerates.”
Many of the brands celebrated in the retrospective have struggled in recent years, including Christopher Kane, House of Holland and Roksanda. “I don’t think we’ve quite recovered from the impact of those changes [Brexit and Covid],” says Newgen rising star Tolu Coker, adding that funding is a particular challenge for young designers today. “The visibility that comes with being part of Newgen is amazing, but when it comes to a physical, tangible resource like being financed, it’s really difficult.” Coker says that while “it’s a scary climate”, she’s also “hopeful”.
“It’s been a tough year for London, and so, in this moment, I feel very grateful,” says Steven Stokey-Daley, founder of SS Daley, after collecting the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design on Thursday, just before LFW commenced.
The LFW retrospective charted a number of difficult times that have impacted London’s designer landscape — the aftermath of the ’80s recession, 9/11 and the 2008 crash, among them. In her speech at the private viewing of the retrospective, Mower says it’s in these moments of adversity that innovation is born, while a 1993 quote by journalist Kathryn Samuel sits on the wall: “The designers have proven that the British give their best when their backs are against the wall.”
Today’s backdrop — with Brexit, rising costs post-Covid and wholesale disruption — is no exception. “The energy at LFW this season has been electric,” says Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC. “There is an unwavering optimism across the industry, even in the face of current economic challenges.”
London was back in full swing
Indeed, designers and show-goers noted a vibrant energy at London Fashion Week this season, as creativity and multiculturalism continued to be at the forefront of what the city has to offer. The schedule featured 72 designers, 48 runway shows, 17 presentations and 63 additional events.
“We saw designers take it to the next level of brand diversification and scaling up,” says Naomi Smart, commerce director of Vogue Shopping at British Vogue. She highlights SS Daley’s womenswear debut (the day after his award win), Nensi Dojaka’s collaboration with Calvin Klein and Michael Stewart’s first standalone show for Standing Ground. “Those that really drilled down into their design codes had maximum impact. Chopova Lowena, Aaron Esh, Simone Rocha and Tolu Coker not only presented clothes we’re desperate to buy, we also want to be part of their gangs. Their shows were bursting with community spirit and the energy that comes with an authentic vision — which not only listens to their audience’s desires, but delivers on it.”
Fresh energy was injected by a number of debuts. Standing Ground’s collection of sculptural jersey dresses with beaded textures was a crowd favourite. Yaku Stapleton transformed the 180 show space into a dynamic presentation of models painting, fighting and camping. Functionality was on display at Johanna Parv’s debut, with models adjusting their clothes, tying jackets through back pockets and adjusting the straps of their shoulder bags to transform them into hands-free backpacks.
As usual, Burberry drew a star-studded front row, including actors Barry Keoghan (who is a brand ambassador) and Olivia Colman, footballers Rio Ferdinand, Declan Rice and Gareth Bale, Olympic athlete Keely Hodgkinson, and models Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jerry Hall and David Gandy. They were greeted by new Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman, who took the helm in July. “He’s got that American optimism, I really enjoy his positivity,” says creative director Daniel Lee of Schulman’s appointment, backstage after the show. “Burberry in its heyday had American leadership and a British designer, and hopefully that’s a synergy we can get back.”
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s wife Victoria Starmer was at Edeline Lee, Harry Styles and Emma Corrin made appearances at SS Daley (Styles invested in the brand in January), Jack Harlow and Central Cee were at Skepta’s Mains show, Iris Law was seen at the Alo wellness space at 180 House, Gossip Girl’s Kelly Rutherford was at Emilia Wickstead and Richard Quinn, Simone Rocha attended 16Arlington and Law Roach was on the front row at Burberry, Aaron Esh and Knwls.
And let’s not forget all the parties. H&M kicked off with a concert from Charli XCX and Jamie xx (the stadium of 3,000 was bouncing as Charli XCX performed her bestselling Brat anthems). Nensi Dojaka hosted an event in St Pancras’s Gothic bar, Chopova Lowena had a bash at the Hoxton and Jordanluca made an appearance with an event at 100 Shoreditch. Harri put on a party in collaboration with media platform Culted, while Skepta kept the party going after his Mains show in Lindley Hall. Knwls hosted its party at The Standard, where model Alva Claire, cult makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench, Roach and Chicken Shop Date’s Amelia Dimoldenberg attended. LFW closed with the BFC’s ‘Icon’ party in partnership with Burberry.
“There is so much creativity and interesting things happening at the moment,” says Harri KS, whose full name is Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai. Chopova Lowena’s Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena add: “London is different and I can’t explain why, but to us, it always has amazing energy and it’s the most interesting and creative city.”
Bosse Myhr, director of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear buying at Selfridges, agrees that this season felt particularly fast paced. “There’s always a lot of creativity and energy around London, but this time I feel that specifically the weekend has been really strong,” he says before the Simone Rocha show. “There have been a lot of clashes — Skepta did a show at the same time as Nensi Dojaka — and I’ve noticed a lot of parties and events happening all over London. But I think the BFC did a good job coordinating. A lot of it is almost a walkable distance from one another.”
“It’s nice to be alongside a cohort of great designers and also to be part of that history of fashion week,” says Ahluwalia, who partnered with Pandora this season to incorporate its jewellery on the runway (she also created a special edit of jewellery, shoppable via Pandora s website). Her collection was a hit among show-goers. It was inspired by notions of the home and featured cosy knits, warm pink hues and rich shades of brown, embellishments and headpieces inspired by wooden beaded curtains that hang in many Nigerian households, and prints inspired by photos of her mother’s childhood home when she first moved to England from India. “The independence of London is amazing. London really does give space to brands that aren’t part of conglomerates — there’s space for ideas that don’t come from a handful of major groups,” she says. Ahluwalia says it’s to our detriment that the industry has “an obsession with nostalgia”, because in 10 years, people will be nostalgic for this period.
While many brands based in London struggle to scale past the middle, Aaron Esh (who showed for the third time this season) says he’s invested in carving out a space for London to be a hotspot for truly elevated luxury, competing with the bigger European players. “People skip London and it’s seen as just emerging brands,” Esh says backstage after showing a collection made of decadent velvet, silk and leather. His designs and sensibility are firmly rooted in London — specifically Hackney — and the way locals wear their high-end wardrobes with vintage pieces (and a rock ‘n’ roll attitude). “I wanted to show we are able to scale this in a way that is all about an elevated brand.”
The industry is changing, and so is LFW
Part of the reason why there were so many debuts is because the Newgen criteria has changed: the BFC removed the minimum wholesale stockist requirement and introduced a reapplication process for each season (which the organisation says is due to the limited number of slots). A new industry panel has also been introduced to select those designers, “ensuring the focus is squarely on creative merit”, says Rush.
“The fashion industry is always shifting, and what once made sense doesn’t necessarily fit with how designers are showcasing and selling their collections today,” she continues. “It was important to us that the LFW schedule reflects the current environment and sets designers up for success, no matter what stage they’re at in their journey.”
“The British Fashion Council has shapeshifted and moved ahead to accommodate the changing times and circumstances,” Mower says after the private viewing of the retrospective. “What the retrospective shows is that young designers are already inventing new business models — direct-to-consumer, selling on Instagram, working with private clients. It’s fascinating to be chair of the Newgen committee and hear people coming up with these ideas and practising them in different ways. In London, we’re really open to change, but also you hear it first from the youngest generation.”
Mower advises other talent incubation platforms to be “forward thinking” and to take a long, hard look at their criteria; for example, in the past, the number of stockists was used to benchmark how established a designer was. “Now, there are people who are established in a different way,” she says. “In some juries, these are the criteria and you have to stick to them, and if you don’t meet that benchmark, you’re a failure. We have to be an organisation that’s inclusive and supportive and not set [in our ways]. Look at your own criteria, if they’re out of date, they’re out of date.”
Newgen designer Karoline Vitto’s first solo LFW show was a highlight. The Brazilian designer — who showed twice under Fashion East for SS23 and AW23, and once under Dolce Gabbana in Milan for SS24 (she skipped AW24) — presented a collection inspired by a stormy summer in Rio de Janeiro. “It was a little bit scary doing it by myself for the first time,” she says backstage after her show. “The process was quite smooth, the collection was ready ahead of time and we finished fittings really early. But there were little things that I‘d remember right as I was going to sleep that Fashion East would have done for me. So it was more responsibility to do the whole management of it.”
Several events challenged the fashion industry’s current model and the way it promotes overconsumption. On day one, Ebay staged a live, shoppable secondhand runway, which aimed to make pre-loved fashion more aspirational; while Oxfam held its usual secondhand fashion show. Independent designer Lucy Tammam, founder of Atelier Tammam, used her show to promote the work of Stop Ecocide International, an organisation that lobbie to make wilful environmental destruction a criminal act.
A spotlight on commercial opportunities
This season, designers had their eyes on commerciality. Erdem launched handbags to diversify and commercialise his brand. Marques’Almeida had a QR code attached to its show notes, so spectators could pre-order the collection as they saw it. There were also a number of collaborations: along with Dojaka’s buy-now collab with Calvin Klein, Lueder worked with Puma, Chopova Lowena inked a brilliant-and-bizarre collab with Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Sarabande resident Esh partnered with Jaguar. “When I found out we’d had the support financially, I was like, I want to do a show that can essentially stand up against any show in the world, whether the budget is £100,000, £1 million or £5 million,” says Esh. “Whether that’s through the rail of clothes or the production of the show or the feeling and the atmosphere, I wanted to do something that can stand up against any brand.”
Buyers say they had their eyes on the city’s emerging talent. International guests flocked from over 40 countries, with stores including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Harvey Nichols Kuwait and ENG China present. “I’ve noticed more international buyers this time around, from North America but also from Europe. There seems to be an appetite for London Fashion Week this time around,” says Selfridges’s Myhr.
The BFC is also reintroducing its showroom in Paris this season after putting it on pause in January 2023. Expect to see 15 LFW designers at the showroom at the end of the month. “My advice to designers is to build connections and relationships during the week and focus on maintaining these going forward,” says Rush. “The purpose is to enable sales, and the showrooms are an invaluable moment to engage with buyers, press and industry professionals who you wouldn’t often have access to. Make sure to research the retailers beforehand so you know exactly who is a priority for your brand. Be present, make the most of these face-to-face interactions and use the platform to authentically share your brand’s story and vision.”
“We will be showcasing more commercially viable pieces in addition to the artistic collection presented in the show, for both commercial buyers and concept buyers,” says Harri, who debuted womenswear this season and will be joining the BFC’s showroom. He has his eyes on Europe and eventually America, building on a loyal base currently in the UK and Asia. “An important part of business is creating new connections, gaining new perspectives and understanding people’s tastes, which is where showrooms are essential.”
The majority of Vitto’s products are made-to-order, but this season she’s heading to Paris for the showroom, too. “Everything from this collection is made in London [in the studio] and we’re going to continue that for this season, but going forward we definitely want to start having a bit more stock. With this collection we wanted to consider pieces that were easily translatable to a factory set-up and that were more wearable, but still edgy and with more detail,” she says.
With commercial opportunities catching up to creative energy, the London fashion sector is reflecting positively on the season. “This season has offered something for everyone, providing a moment to reflect on LFW’s incredible history as well as a look ahead for the next 40 years,” says Rush. “London’s fashion is absolutely a force to be reckoned with.”
With additional reporting by Elektra Kotsoni and Kirsty McGregor.
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