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London Fashion Week kicks off its 40th anniversary season on Friday with a city-wide celebration, including a “Love Letter to London” campaign and special events across the city, from Selfridges to Number 10 Downing Street.
“London Fashion Week feels quite similar to what it was 40 years ago,” says Caroline Rush, CEO of LFW organiser the British Fashion Council (BFC). “I am still inspired by the designers, they still surprise me and watching them develop as creatives and business leaders is one of the things that I enjoy the most. There is an anticipation and an energy around the city this season.”
Founded in 1984, London is the youngest fashion week of the “Big Four”, and has retained a youthful rebellious spirit through its 40 years, as the birthplace of punk label Vivienne Westwood and subversive Alexander McQueen. However, Burberry aside, many of the city’s most-iconic labels have decamped to Paris or Milan. And in their wake, the event has become a hotbed for scrappy new talent.
“LFW has always been known for its creative talent,” says Rush. “Each show has a point of view, and each designer uses this moment to bring to life their vision — the clothes, the craftsmanship, the models, the music, the venue — all play a part in this. They consistently raise the bar and push boundaries, challenging the status quo and that drives us to do more.”
Harris Reed will unofficially open the Autumn/Winter 2024 season with an off-schedule show on Thursday evening. While his plans remain under wraps, Reed often brings some much-needed star power to LFW: previous shows featured actor Florence Pugh (AW23) and supermodel Ashley Graham (SS24).
Aside from its 44 shows and 15 presentations, this edition will include designer Q&A sessions, workshops around zero-waste craftsmanship and upcycling, live music performances and limited-edition product drops. On Tuesday, Number 10 will open its doors and host a group of industry insiders to celebrate the anniversary. And many of the city’s venues, from Aqua Shard to Petersham Nurseries, are offering weary showgoers and the general public access to special deals and menus.
Of course, there will be a few big-brand moments. Burberry will close out the week, presenting Daniel Lee’s third collection for the house on Monday evening. “Daniel’s really getting into his stride,” says Rush. “I’m excited to see what happens there.”
Simone Rocha, fresh from her Jean Paul Gaultier couture outing in Paris, will show her ready-to-wear on Saturday evening, while JW Anderson has the Sunday morning slot.
Buzzy British brand 16Arlington will show on Saturday morning. “16Arlington was a standout show for me in September,” says Rush, “so I’m excited to see what Marco [Capaldo, the co-founder] is going to do.” For Rush, however, the highlight is always the Newgen talent incubator designers. “We see them make strides each season as they’re really developing the DNA of their businesses and their design and that’s always really exciting to see.”
She notes emerging Newgen talent Paolo Carzana, showing on Saturday afternoon, who was announced as an LVMH Prize semi-finalist last week. Eyes will also be on non-profit incubator Fashion East’s show, featuring three emerging talents this season: functional womenswear label Johanna Parv, menswear designer Olly Shinder and new addition, sculptural womenswear brand Sos Skyn, designed by artist Samara Scott, who has recently joined the Fashion East roster. British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, who Rush says had an “epic” first season last September, will present her sophomore collection this season, after joining Newgen last spring.
Denim label Marques’Almeida — a former London favourite — is returning to the schedule for the first time since the pandemic, after showing in Porto, where founders Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida now live and set up their production operations. “London is home, we started the brand in London and most of our supporters and the people inspiring us were from London,” says Almeida of its return.
Burgeoning labels like Conner Ives and Knwls, who both only show once a year, are back on schedule for AW24. And London-based designer Dilara Fındıkoğlu, who pulled out of showing last season with just two weeks to spare, will also return to the runway.
“I am so excited for this LFW, which marks 40 years of existence; of becoming a platform of emerging talent that become the leading creatives of the future,” says Stavros Karelis, founder and buying director of independent concept store Machine-A. “I am particularly excited for the Central Saint Martins’s MA show under the direction of Fabio Piras, and Fashion East by Lulu Kennedy. Both of these shows represent what has established LFW as one of the leading fashion weeks globally for discovering and nurturing emerging talent — like no other city does.”
Karelis also highlights Carzana as “one of the best designers of his generation”, and lists Aaron Esh, Simone Rocha, Richard Quinn, Saul Nash, Jawara Alleyne, Labrum, Dilara Fındıkoğlu and Kazna Asker among his must-see shows. “London is this one-of-a-kind multicultural environment of pure fashion that is born through culture. When you want to discover the trends of tomorrow, this is the only fashion week that can give you this unique insight,” he adds.
On the party front, some of the fashion crowd may begin LFW with a sore head. Machine-A will celebrate its Reebok collaboration on Thursday night, in partnership with major London queer club night Adonis, until 2am. Then comes the official LFW launch party on Friday, hosted at S. And on Saturday, regular fashion party venue The Standard will host David Koma’s after-party in its Sweeties rooftop venue.
While this coming season ushers in LFW’s 40th anniversary celebrations, we can expect even more fanfare in September, which is just before the event’s official birthday in October. “It’s the kick-off of a whole year of celebration, and we’re just getting going,” says Rush. “It’s an opportunity to tell the stories of the fantastic creatives that have been part of fashion week over the last 40 years, which will gain momentum as we get closer to September. This is in many ways a teaser.”
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