Earlier this summer, editors, buyers and other members of the industry gathered beneath the Serpentine Pavilion to reflect on a year of change at the top level of fashion. “Last year, I said we would act,” said British Fashion Council CEO and former British editor Laura Weir. “And this year, we did.” She proceeded to unveil a string of new initiatives: affordable studio space for designers, supported by the King’s Foundation; three new brand-backed scholarships; and Fashion Britain, a nationwide programme of events intended to decentralise the industry beyond London. There was news, too, that Mulberry by Christopher Kane would be joining the upcoming spring/summer 2027 London Fashion Week schedule. Perhaps most exciting, though, was the announcement that McQueen was returning to London – a move that might yet encourage Kiko Kostadinov, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham to follow suit. Not that London lives or dies by its biggest names. Here, people are just as curious to see what Ellen Poppy Hill, Petra Fagerström, Oscar Ouyang and Talia Byre have been working on as they are Simone Rocha, Erdem and Burberry. And there is plenty more happening beyond the runway, anyway.
Scroll on for the inside track on the season ahead, including where to spot the great, the good and the freeloading in the wild.
The high-street
Romeo Beckham walking the H&M autumn/winter 2025 show.
James Manning - PA Images/Getty ImagesThere are mixed feelings about the proliferation of high-street brands on the London Fashion Week schedule. You don’t see Monoprix showing in Paris, but this season will include a catwalk presentation from Marks & Spencer to mark its centenary year. And it might be very good. After all, everyone is talking about Aaron Esh’s creative takeover of AllSaints. First up, though, is H&M. Having packed out Stratford’s Copper Box Arena with what felt like half of London (and Charli xcx) in September 2024, then brought Lola Young – and a generation of new-gen supers – to 180 The Strand the following year, the retailer will return with a catwalk-turned-concert-turned-club night. It is the kind of big-budget spectacle that should see a constellation of heavyweight models and editors jetting in for the entire week.
The new school
Mulberry’s six-year runway hiatus will come to an end this season, when Christopher Kane unveils his first womenswear collection for the house. “It is an honour to return to London Fashion Week with Mulberry,” said the creative director. “I am so grateful to the BFC and the wider fashion community for their support since the announcement.” Kane last appeared on the schedule with his namesake brand’s autumn/winter 2023 collection, when Vogue’s chief critic described him as “a designer of hot clothes that give women the chance to have a really great time with fashion”. But his debut is not the only one generating chatter. Indian minimalist label Lovebirds will show in London for the first time, while Freddy Coomes and Matt Empringham of A Letter, as well as Petra Fagerström, will stage their debut runways.
The corner
and Nike will once again transform The Corner Shop – the grocer, baker and café from 180 Quarter’s Mark Wadhwa – into a fashion-week watering hole. From Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 September, the space will host a line-up of open-to-all events, with Nike ambassadors leading restorative wellbeing sessions designed to revive weary showgoers on the hour, every hour, alongside an array of treats and a Vogue Collection concession. A few doors down, will also host a series of panel talks, with tickets available to students across the UK. As for what those will involve: stay tuned? Also worth knowing: Café Clement – fashion’s latest place to see and be seen – is just across the street.
The home turf
McQueen spring/summer 2026.
The major headline this season is that McQueen will be showing in London – the first time the house has shown in its native capital since then-creative director Sarah Burton presented spring/summer 2023 at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. It’s a major boost to the health of London Fashion Week, which has seen several of its most influential British houses – McQueen, Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham – decamp to Paris. “London has always been at the heart of McQueen; there’s a uniquely visceral energy to the city that runs throughout the house’s history and continues to inspire everything we do today,” creative director Seán McGirr told Vogue when the news was announced. “Returning to London Fashion Week allows us to deeply engage with that spirit and the creative community that defines both London and this house.” Aaron Esh and Knwls – two other brands built on the grit and glamour of the capital – will also make a return to the schedule.