Designer Lucila Safdie has found her crowd with a generation of “internet it-girls” who draw inspiration from Tumblr culture and Y2K. – EpitomeStudio/Courtesy Lucila Safdie
This season at London Fashion Week, designers made it clear that a runway is no longer the only way to go about staging a show. For every high-octane catwalk across the five-day schedule, there were a number of relaxed presentations and informal gatherings as some brands looked to save money, slow things down and connect with their community beyond the rigidity of assigned seating.
In her second season as CEO of the British Fashion Council, Laura Weir summarized it best during her opening speech on Friday morning. “This week is not only a schedule of shows,” she said, reeling off the numerous presentations, dinners and events taking place. London’s strength, she continued, is in the fact that the city doesn’t “follow a formula” but sets “the cultural temperature.”
Indeed, long viewed as the scrappy sibling on the fashion calendar, London’s brands are unlike the more commercially viable labels at New York Fashion Week, which earlier this month demonstrated their prowess in knowing how to sell clothes, often with wider appeal. That’s not to say that London designers don’t know how to sell, but their approach is more targeted.
Chet Lo, who typically stages his shows in a space for emerging designers provided by the BFC, this time held his catwalk at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. There, he leaned into his heritage as he transformed the ballroom into a Hong Kong night market. – Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
Whether it’s Chet Lo’s recreation of a Hong Kong night market, Chopova Lowena’s folklore mashup for quirky girls, or Tolu Coker’s exploration of diasporic black identity, London’s indie brands tend to spotlight and cater to the underserved – from LGBTQ+ community individuals to people of color. In doing so, several designers have amassed a devoted following. And it was these communities that they sought to engage – not only through the clothes, but this time through moments that encouraged guests to mingle with the designers as well as each other.
Laura Ingham, deputy director of Vogue’s global fashion network, recalled to CNN a conversation the past week with a colleague, in which they discussed “the power that fashion has to tell stories from different cultures, and the importance of community.” Fashion, she said, can play a role in “unifying all communities, whilst also shining a light” on the city’s most promising designers, many of which were “doubling down on their unique points of view.”
Nobody does quirky cool better than Chopova Lowena, who took inspiration from some furry friends as well as early 19th century and Regency silhouettes. – Courtesy Chopova Lowena
Alongside the clothes, there was also a mini golf-themed set with AstroTurf. As the designers said, “tea time – and tee time – is always better with friends.” – Courtesy Chopova Lowena
As designer Emma Chopova, one half of the brand Chopova Lowena, known for its fashionably unfashionable aesthetic, said: “Our community is everything to us.” Since 2022, Chopova and co-founder Laura Lowena-Irons have shown their designs via a catwalk only once a year, typically releasing a digital lookbook instead. For the first time, they held a presentation, complete with AstroTurf for guests to play mini-golf and garden-themed cupcakes to nibble on. “We want to keep feeding our people,” Chopova said – seemingly both figuratively and literally.
Among the designers who also eschewed the catwalk this season was Talia Byre, who instead hosted an intimate gathering to celebrate a limited-edition zine that documented the process of making her latest collection. Meanwhile, designer Kazna Asker offered iftar, a meal for those in observation of Ramadan, as she presented textiles collected from her recent trips to the Middle East. And Knwls co-founders Alex Arsenault and Charlotte Knowles opened a pop-up store decorated with paintings by artists they had known since school. One morning, the duo, who have had a partnership with Nike since 2025, hosted a Pilates session in the space. Arsenault hoped such activities would appeal to fans. “That’s what people want these days, they’re craving something physical,” he said.
At Liberowe’s presentation, designer Talia Loubaton made the case for how she planned to expand beyond the brand’s signature jackets. Among them, bridalwear. – Courtesy Liberowe
Elsewhere, Talia Loubaton presented her sought-after brand, Liberowe, at London Fashion Week for the first time. While many of her peers at Central Saint Martins (Loubaton graduated from the MA Fashion course) tend to make more challenging, avant-garde clothes, Liberowe simply offers wearable jackets for working women, albeit with a mannish spin. “I was always the more commercial student,” she said with a laugh. Fittings with early clients in her home taught Loubaton who she was making clothes for. “That was my resistance. It was tough to keep that vision sometimes. I like to explore, but I like to celebrate women. That’s what fashion is to me,” she said.
Bigger, more established brands seemed to seek greater connection, too. Jonathan Anderson, now based in Paris as the artistic director of Dior, returned to London to fete the opening of his eponymous label’s new store in the capital’s central district of Pimlico. On the same night, namesake designer Roksanda Illincic organized a dinner for “friends of the house,” who came dressed in the brand’s vibrant, flowing designs. Meanwhile, Erdem Moralioglu marked the 20th anniversary of his brand with a show attended by the likes of Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren and Glenn Close – though the evening before, he hosted a cocktail for friends and close collaborators at multi-brand store Dover Street Market.
Models walked the runway for London-based label Erdem, which celebrates its 20th anniversary. – Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Jonathan Anderson, Anna Wintour and British actress Lesley Manville celebrate the opening of the designer’s new store in central London. – Hoda Davaine/Getty Images
Instead of staging a fashion show, designer Roksanda Illincic (right) hosted a dinner with the British Fashion Council (CEO Laura Weir, left). – Courtesy Roksanda
Some brands still proceeded with a traditional runway show. Simone Rocha returned to north London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre to present her collection filled with rosettes, spliced tailoring and sportswear (via a new collaboration with Adidas). Though, the designer retained a sense of familial warmth, in part thanks to her mother Odette who personally welcomed guests and friends finding their seats. It was also a family affair at Conner Ives, the American darling of London Fashion Week, who last year went viral for a “Protect the Dolls” T-shirt that has since raised over $600,000 for the US-based Trans Life charity. His latest show cast friends as models, including his boyfriend who made his runway debut carrying Ives’ 7-month-old dog, Rex.
Instead of looking for inspiration further afield, London’s designers are often thinking of the people around and closest to them. So, while their shows may not be the grandest or always have the greatest appeal, they’re certainly among the most personal. And after years of navigating homogeneity (as a consequence of social media trends and corporate consolidation), perhaps there’s something here the wider fashion industry can learn from.
A playful print by Simone Rocha. – Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
Sportier track garments were styled with her bulbous gowns. – Shutterstock
The breakout star of the season, The Vxlley, made its London Fashion Week debut at Ladbroke Hall. – Isabel Infantes/Reuters
A 2026 semifinalist for the prestigious LVMH Prize, The Vxlley was founded by Spanish multidisciplinary artist Daniel del Valle. – Lily Craigen/Courtesy British Fashion Council
The designs, featuring ceramics, beads and flowers, highlight the precision of his craft, which are like wearable sculptures. – Lily Craigen/Courtesy British Fashion Council
Labrum’s latest collection looked at textile migration and the cultural transformation that happens when fabric leaves its homeland to be sewn into something new. – Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Speaking backstage, Foday Dumbuya said he hoped his collection might inspire people to think more deeply about where they are from. “If you’re curious, you go and investigate,” he said. – Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images
London-based label Knwls has become known for its body-accentuating designs. This time, the designers didn’t stage a runway show, but instead launched a pop-up with various events taking place throughout the week. – Sophie Holden/British Fashion Council
Harris Reed introduced fluid bridalwear in his collection this season, which featured the wedding look he wore to his own nuptials in 2023. – Suleika Mueller/Courtesy Harris Reed
Mithridate, designed by Daniel Fletcher and shown at the Tate Britain, managed to fuse two cultures through one floral motif: Wisteria. – Daniele Oberrauch/Courtesy Mithridate
Although it originated in China, wisteria has become synonymous with quiet English gardens. As a British designer helming a Chinese-founded label, Fletcher found common ground in the purple flowering tree. – Daniele Oberrauch/Courtesy Mithridate
Anna Jewsbury’s jewelry and ceramics brand Completedworks came to life with a performance starring the actress Jemima Kirke. – Courtesy Completedworks
Designer Pauline Dujancourt has become known for her intricate knitwear and textile expertise. – Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
For Fall-Winter 2026, her designs came in colors like silver, teal and lilac, as well as her signature black and white. The shoes were a partnership with Lili Curia. – Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty Images
Keira Knightley and Glenn Close at the Erdem show. – Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images
A model in maxi floral dress and romantic sheer cape at the Patrick McDowell show. – Shutterstock
Gravity-defying hats, also at the Patrick McDowell show. – Simon Ackerman/Getty Images
Maximilian Raynor, who counts famous fans like Lady Gaga, showed his knotted knits, horse-bit hardware and sculptural tartan looks amongst handwritten love letters. – Joe Maher/Getty Images
Chet Lo’s trademark knit spikes were elevated further this season with individual feathers which bounced as models walked. – Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
Works from jewelers, artists and other creatives across the Asian diaspora were also brought together and shown in stalls. – Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
Namesake designer Marie Lueder takes a bow with American actress Rose McGowan. – Pixelformula/SIPA/Shutterstock
Taking inspiration from Swiss painter Tobias Spichtig and English cultural theorist Mark Fisher, Lueder’s collection was even titled “Ghosts of my Life,” the same as Fisher’s 2014 essay collection. – NOWFASHION/Shutterstock
Designer Johanna Parv is dedicated to providing on-the-go Londoners with clothes that combine form and function with Velcro leather belts, oodles of pockets and tailored pieces comfortable enough to cycle in. – Laura Rose/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Conner Ives’ boyfriend walked the runway carrying the designer’s puppy Rex. – Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Also walking the Conner Ives show was writer, model and friend of the designer Tish Weinstock in a reconstituted vintage fox fur robe. – Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Tolu Coker weaved a number of references into her show, which was attended by King Charles. The bright saccharine color palette was a nod to the vibrant Yoruba heritage and her favorite film growing up, “Clueless.” – Charlie Wheeler/British Fashion Council
GOYAGOMA, founded by Traiceline Pratt, made its debut at the Fashion East show, which supports emerging talent. The label has already been worn by A$AP Rocky. – Lia Toby/Getty Images
At Fashion East, designer Jacek Gleba made ballet-inspired pieces for the boys. – Lia Toby/Getty Images
Emerging knitwear designer Oscar Ouyang was inspired by the idea of a final party in a countryside mansion. In the show notes, Ouyang questioned the idea of inheritance — both in terms of clothes, dress codes and wider structures. Classic pieces such as military coats and tailored tweed were restyled for a new generation. – Estrop/WireImage/Getty Images
Masha Popova, who has dressed pop stars such as Charli XCX and Blackpink’s Lisa, showed a variety of hot pants in cable knit, satin-finish, leather and denim. – Ian West/PA Images/Alamy Images/Sipa USA
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