4 min readDuring fashion month, the collections in Milan and Paris—from mega luxury brands like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Chanel—tend to overshadow the smaller-scale presentations in New York and London. But the incredible talents working in these cities should by no means be overlooked, particularly those with unapologetically creative ideas. Each season, they take risks, challenge our notions of style, and push the boundaries of what constitutes good taste. Nowhere is this spirit more vibrant than in London, and this season the emerging and independent designers made an especially strong impact.
There’s a particular aesthetic often associated with emerging designers—one that, of course, correlates with the limited resources characteristic of upstarts in any industry. The work can sometimes feel scrappy, shaped more by creative urgency than commercial pressure. But at Fashion East, Goyagoma challenged that stereotype. Sandwiched between two emerging designers under Lulu Kennedy’s incubator, Traiceline Pratt’s runway debut felt markedly distinct. This was the second, after-hours-focused installment of the Bahamas-born, London-based designer’s debut collection, titled “Something to Wear.”
Goyagoma Fall 2026
The opening look featured a camouflage parka trimmed with fur at the hood, paired with white patent leather baggy trousers. Next came a croc-stamped suede trench coat with a funnel neck and drop-waist belt. Elsewhere, Pratt played with the polo shirt, reimagining it in allover fur or that same slick white leather. The finale consisted of silk taffeta gowns inspired by slinky lingerie. The pieces were adventurous, yes—but impressively polished in their execution.
Daniel Del Valle’s Thevxlley offered something entirely different. His debut collection, “The Narcissist,” aimed to evoke emotion rather than the impulse to pull out a credit card. The ensembles felt more like sculpture than clothing. One top was rendered in mosaic tile, illustrating a flower vase set against a wall. Another depicted a vessel crushed to the chest by ribbons, flowers spilling from the top. A series of painstakingly constructed urns replaced traditional tops: one adorned with tiny clamshells, another in blue-and-white porcelain, and a final version trimmed with dollhouse-like potted flowers.
Thevxlley Fall 2026
Del Valle has no formal fashion training. He still works full-time as a florist—a detail that becomes less surprising upon seeing his work—and has used the hours before and after his shifts to shape this collection.
Multidisciplinary artist Ronan McKenzie’s Fall 2026 presentation was less about precision and more about performance. This season, she drew inspiration from middle school “bleep tests,” the timed gym-class drills where students run back and forth in escalating intervals. It was the first time, she recalled, that her body had been challenged in that way. For the collection, she set out to “explore sports as a metaphor for creativity. I think the things some athletes experience—in a very different way—aren’t dissimilar to what we as creatives or designers go through.” (She has been living at home in Northeast London after exhausting her finances on a previous show.)
The presentation featured a live recreation of the bleep test, with models wearing garments upcycled from P.E. jerseys collected from her alma mater, alongside the neutral, strategically draped fabrics characteristic of her past work. “I’m not a perfectionist in any shape or form,” she said, “which I think has been really valuable to me as an artist.”
At the start of the week, Macy Grimshaw reminded audiences why the Central Saint Martins M.A. shows remain essential viewing. Her collection reimagined the mundane through molded leather pieces printed with her own photographs. (Styled by Harry Lambert—who has been commissioning custom pieces since one of his assistants first flagged Grimshaw’s work a few years ago—the collection carried a sharp clarity of vision.)
One look featured a photo-printed top adorned with resin-covered cigarette butts, all smoked by her friends at CSM. Another included individually cut pieces of leather printed to resemble pencil shavings—her inventive way of channeling feathers without being literal—stitched onto an oversized blazer and skirt.
London’s Fall 2026 Fashion Week also featured notable collections from Raw Mango by Indian designer Sanjay Garg and A Letter, founded by Matt Empringham and Freddy Coomes. The appointment of Laura Weir as CEO of the British Fashion Council promises greater accessibility to—and for—London Fashion Week, an early sign of positive momentum.
I was watching from afar, but even from the New York office, whispers circulated: “Did you see this one?” “Who is that?” “I’ve got to look into them.” There were so many new stories to tell—and likely more that escaped our notice. As we head into the fashion weeks of Paris and Milan, cities that shout with behemoth labels and flashy new creative directors, London has proven this season that it continues to hum with fresh energy and possibility.