As autumn/winter fashion week fast approaches, London’s fashion lovers are gearing up for a display of some of the best designers and emerging British talent the industry has to offer.

Running from February 20-24, London Fashion Week (LFW) has previously propelled the careers of fashion legends, including Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham and the late Alexander McQueen.

While a lot of those designers have taken their collections elsewhere – presenting at the likes of Paris Fashion Week – fortunately there still remains plenty of exciting British and international designers at London.

New names

A new class of talent will be introduced through the latest edition of Lulu Kennedy’s talent incubator, Fashion East, and the yearly Central Saint Martins MA show.

Excitingly, Ashish is new to the schedule – who’s dressed the likes of Taylor Swift and Cate Blanchett – alongside the likes of Sara Chraïbi and Moroccan designer Maison Artc.

When it comes to rising stars, all eyes are on Paolo Carzana, whose private showcase in his East London backyard was a standout moment of last season.

And while there are a host of exciting new designers to look out for, the event will return with established designers including Burberry, Simone Rocha, and the Princess of Wales’ beloved brands Roksanda and Erdem.

In response to the challenges new designers face, the British Fashion Council (who run London Fashion Week) have been working with the government to support new industry talent.

“We continue to engage closely with the government to highlight and address the concerns of designers and the wider industry,” says CEO of the British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush.

“The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been instrumental in supporting our BFC NEWGEN initiative, enabling exceptional emerging talent to showcase at the official LFW show space.”

This comes after the BFC secured an additional £1 million in funding for 25/26.

Another focus for the BFC is to increase London Fashion Week’s audience numbers.

“This season, we are enhancing our International Guest Programme, supported by funding from the Department for Business and Trade and the GREAT Campaign,” Rush explains, “this funding allows us to invite a larger group of press and retailers from key markets with significant spending power to attend LFW.”

Sustainability initiatives

This season, London Fashion Week has become the first of the ‘big four’ to introduce sustainability requirements for brands that are part of the Newgen incubation scheme – adopting Copenhagen Fashion Week’s framework.

“This collaboration sees us roll out the sustainability requirements framework developed by Copenhagen Fashion Week across our BFC Newgen initiative where the minimum standards will be embedded into the existing mandatory criteria for admission,” says Rush.

This partnership introduces a framework for incoming designers with a clearer focus on environmental initiatives, diversity and inclusion.

“By working together with Copenhagen Fashion Week, we aim to set a new global standard for sustainable innovation in fashion and strengthen London’s position as a leader in sustainable fashion,” Rush explains.

This isn’t this first time London Fashion Week has made a major move in sustainability. In November last year, LFW became the first of the ‘big four’ to ban the use of exotic skins such as crocodile and snake in show collections.

Many designers – even those less established and smaller than the luxury powerhouses that show in Paris and Milan – generally avoid using exotic skins in their collections.

Still, the decision marks a significant step.

“The partnership [with Copenhagen Fashion Week] reflects our shared belief that collective action is key to addressing industry challenges and encouraging positive change,” says Rush.

Missing names

There are a few noticeable names that are absent from the LFW schedule. Molly Goddard, Aaron Esh, Chopova Lowena, SS Daley and, most notably, JW Anderson (who recently dressed singer Sabrina Carpenter at the Grammys).

Marco Capaldo’s acclaimed and award-winning brand, 16Arlington, has also opted out of the main schedule, instead having unveiled its collection during an intimate dinner on January 22.

The streamlined schedule highlights the increasing challenges of sustaining an independent label in London, with many designers adopting a season-on, season-off strategy – likely making the September edition a more bustling event.

“The British fashion scene is undeniably challenging,” admits Rush, “from the ongoing repercussions of Brexit to the challenging retail landscape.

But despite the pressures, London’s designers remain resilient and resourceful.

“We are collaborating with the UK Government to improve access to finance, enabling our designers and brands to realise their growth potential.

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, reinstating tax-free shopping would instantly inject much-needed confidence into the industry, which would, in turn, positively impact our designer fashion community,” explains Rush.

A new pop-up shop

This season, LFW is introducing it’s first ever pop-up shop open to the public to support over 20 of the BFC’s designers.

Open from February 22-24 on Regent Street, people can shop an exclusive archive collection from some of LFW’s most iconic names, such as 16Arlington, Ahluwalia, Conner Ives, Johanna Parv and Saul Nash.

The new pop-up shop gives fashion enthusiasts a one-off chance to take home a bit of fashion history.