London Fashion Week starts on Thursday, 17th September, when the country’s leading designers will present their latest catwalk shows.
What we wear next summer will, by and large, begin with what we see over the next five days. As editors, stylists, buyers, content creators and influencers descend on London and fill our feeds with runway imagery and finale films, we outline what you really need to know.
What are the buzziest shows this season? Whose names should we drop at the dinner table?
Let’s start with Christopher Kane’s debut for Mulberry, which takes place on Sunday afternoon. The more ardent of fashion followers will know his name from when he ran his own eponymous brand from 2006 until 2023, along with his sister Tammy. The Scottish designer, whose fans include Michelle Obama, Alexa Chung and Lena Dunham, built a name in creating season-defining collections that subverted femininity. There is always something pleasingly off-kilter about a Christopher Kane look, whether a safety-buckle fastening or poppy neon brights. He is brilliantly original, which is why everyone is very excited about his first Mulberry collection. There’s also a lot of good will behind Mulberry, a British heritage brand responsible for some of the most desirable bags of the last 15 years – who didn’t want or own a Bayswater back in the mid 00s?
Christopher Kane photographed by Darren Gerrish
Simone Rocha will draw a starry crowd as usual with a collection that will likely showcase her Adidas collaboration. Other than LFW blockbuster Burberry, the other hot ticket is Alexander McQueen who returns to the London schedule after 25 years of showing in Paris, marking a homecoming if you will.
But what difference does it make if McQueen shows in London or Paris?
London has always been known as a birthing ground of experimental, boundary-pushing designers, which is important and still true, but for the big editors and buyers to visit, starry, commercially-appealing names are needed. Over the past few years, many of the most influential, international fashion insiders (read Anna Wintour) have skipped London and headed straight to the Milan shows which follow just after. The return of famous British brands like Burberry mean global attention on London, and help present it as one of the fashion big boys.
And what about the emerging designers? Didn’t you just say London is known for the creative young guns?
I did, and yes it very much is. There are so many exciting names to look out for this season. Swedish designer Petra Fagerström is attracting a lot of buzz, and best known for her clever pleating. Talia Byre is becoming a go-to for fresh, cool staples that women really want to wear, and Patrick McDowell’s sustainably-made feminine creations will again be a talking point. Emerging talent platform Fashion East always delivers future design stars (Simone Rocha and Dior’s Jonathan Anderson are among its alumni), and there’s a lot of talk about GoyaGoma, helmed by former Phoebe Philo trainee Traiceline Pratt, whose polished, artfully-crafted outerwear has the air of a designer with decades of experience. The schedule is heaving with other names (Pauline Dujancourt’s knitwear will be another highlight), but I’ll leave you with Steve O Smith, who turns hand-drawn illustrations into three-dimensional, wearable garments. It’s truly beautiful to behold.
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Is it really true that fashion editors all dress the same?
By and large yes. The attention-grabbing street style looks that will cover your feeds tend to be worn by content creators, rather than those writing about and covering the shows. I’m sorry to tell you that most editors stick to a tried-and-tested uniform – navy cashmere jumpers, boxy T-shirts in neutral colours, straight-leg jeans and oversized blazers. They used to wear all black, but now you’ll find a slightly brighter palette – we’re talking a white T-shirt/oversized shirt and maybe an oatmeal or chocolate-toned knit, nothing too zany. Fashion editors rarely wear heels.
What one item can you guarantee you’ll see 50 times outside a show?
Loafers (we did a guide to the best here). They’re an elite shoe for the shows because they’re polished but practical. Everyone wears them with a neutral toned sock (red styles were big for a while, but I think we’ve hit peak there).
Pernille Teisbaek at London Fashion Week
Is it true M&S is showing at Fashion Week? Are high-street brands allowed to take part then?
Yes, the rumours are true – M&S will host its first ever LFW show on Friday 18th to mark its 100th anniversary. This has had a mixed reception among a handful of fashion die-hards who think Fashion Week should be for high-end designers only. But if we go along with the adage that clothes only become fashion when people wear it as a part of their daily lives, then M&S has a rightful place on the calendar. Every millennial with an eye for style wears M&S these days.
What are people who attend actually looking for?
The shows are attended by a mix of industry insiders, who are all looking for different things. Some editors and journalists will be there to write show reviews and daily reports, often filed from the back of cabs and late at night, while others will be looking for emerging trends or new design names to write about in the following weeks. Buyers view the collections to decide which pieces to buy for the next season, while a selection of high-net-worth clients will be shopping from their seat, making wish lists to order afterwards. Then of course, there’s the content creators, who promote the brand through online social media audiences, and celebrities, who generate buzz for the brand. It’s quite an eco-system.
Alexa Chung at the Simone Rocha AW26 show photographed by Darren Gerrish
Why does it matter that they’re there – can’t they just see it all with us on social media?
This is a good point, but without sounding like an Ab Fab extra, there is nothing like seeing the clothes in real time – how they move and look on the model. Catwalk shows are, at least in part, a way in which the designer or brand can create a mini world for themselves. It’s a means of communicating their vision, through music, lighting, choreography and staging. Fashion shows are not just about seeing, they’re about feeling too. It’s much easier to get a sense of what a designer is trying to achieve when you’re in the room watching that world come to life.
Do I need a ticket to be part of the LFW action?
I’m afraid you do need a ticket to go to the shows, which are invite-only. That said, the British Fashion Council’s new CEO Laura Weir has made huge changes in making the industry more accessible and decentrifying it beyond London. The BFC Fashion Britain initiative sees thousands of style-related public events across the country, in Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dundee, Bristol, Liverpool and London. Expect expert panels, designer talks, shopping events and exhibitions. For more information visit the BFC website. Also, Burberry opens a free showcase dedicated to its iconic trench at the V&A on Monday, 21 September – the next best thing to going to the show itself. Two of LFW’s blossoming stars Tolu Coker and Priya Ahluwalia are hosting free events at Westfield now until open until 20 September. Coker will stage her first public pop-up, plus a Listening Room modelled on her childhood living room, built around identity, heritage and storytelling at Westfield London, while Ahluwalia invites visitors to Westfield Stratford to explore her first-ever public archive display, drawn from her spring/summer 2026 collection, Affinity.
Fashion Britain campaign photographed by Niall Hodson
I want to feel like an editor or stylist. Where should I go for drinks and dinner?
Cafe Clement at London’s buzziest new hotel St Clement, which backs onto LFW’s official venue at 180 The Strand. Helmed by ex-River Cafe head chef Danny Bohan, there’s a terrace to maximise any last hits of autumn sunshine (sunglasses firmly on). Inside, diners sit at white table cloth-covered tables around the open kitchen. The lighting is low, and it just feels pleasantly elegant. It isn’t wildly expensive either, look out for the £28 two-course set menu and the house wine, which is £8 a glass.
What should I say to make me sound like I’m going to LFW?
“I’m so tired.” Whether being transported around in a chauffeur-driven car all day, or running about on public transport, the same thing applies. It’s the unofficial mantra of LFW. I don’t make the rules.
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
Lead image: Le Sirenuse
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