Editor Approved: The Stars Who Stole London Fashion Week
This season was all about attitude: designers toyed with tradition, twisted heritage into something sexier, and reminded us that fashion should still make you feel something. Whether it was sheer knits clinging to the body like a second skin or sculptural silhouettes that swallowed models whole, tactility ruled the runways. As the industry teeters between nostalgia and the unknown, these collections proved that London designers are more than ready to shake things up. Here’s our take on the moments that stole the show.
When it comes to fashion, a press release should mention at least three things: the starting point for the collection, the materials used and the mood. However, can you do all three through a few lines of poetry? Simone Rocha seems to think so, whose press notes this season danced around different verbs and nouns to communicate the intangible. If any other designer listed out such ramblings passed off as 'notes for press' - we can only presume people would be talking (and not positively). But as Rocha’s collections are often described as literal ‘poetry in fashion’, it would make sense for the collection that followed to be just as whimsical as people would expect, Rocha style.
Indeed, whimsicality and frivolity may not always be central to a Rocha show, after all, the bejewelled clips and frills were certainly pulled back for A/W 25 but that so-called girlishness hidden in every Rocha collection remained, even if it did come in leather puff sleeves and all. Wanting to channel the designer’s signature femininity, our London artist Annie Naranian chose to swap out such leather looks in favour of focusing on fabrics that felt much more gentle - not just to the soul, but the inner child that lies within all of us.
Christina Donoghue, Art and Culture Editor
If anyone can make the best out of a tough situation, it’s London. We’re a city of creative grafters. Stefan Cooke was one of the brands that took matters into their own hands, doing something more intimate with beers and a huge cake baked by one of their AW24 collection lookbook models. Friends, family, and industry insiders were invited to Jake’s—the pop-up shop by one half of the SC duo, Jake Burt—to view the collection, with the option to place pre-orders (my credit card was burning a hole in my pocket). This is a clever move for a brand that you actually see people wearing out and about, especially as that local community is what makes or breaks a brand in today’s crumbling retail landscape.
Similarly, Aaron Esh hosted an intimate dinner for friends of the brand to launch a new capsule of dresses. Guests included stylist Katy England, who has become both mentor and muse to the London-based designer. Seen on the night on Cora Corrè and Camille Charrière, the capsule is available to shop online now. A runway show works when it feels right—it’s not always about the money. Sometimes, doing something else is just better.
Hetty Mahlich, Editor
British heritage is nothing new at London Fashion Week, so thank God S.S. Daley is constantly reimagining it with fresh eyes. This season, designer Steven Stokey-Daley infused his signature codes with a new, sexier energy, laced with quiet hedonism and a defiant sense of freedom. Menswear leaned into louche sensuality: sleek suits contrasted tight ribbed sheer jerseys, while exaggerated duffle coats hinted at something decadent beneath. The trench coat was reimagined as cropped peplum jackets—more déshabillé than decorum. Nothing short of a sly ‘fuck you’ to stuffy heritage.
This season, the late Faithfull was on the mood board with her name, emblazoned on a knitted sweater like a love letter to her uncompromising artistry. The eternally rebellious muse was evident in the collection's spirit of sensuality and defiance. Tactility played a pivotal role in bringing this essence to life with every fabric oozing a deliberate sensuality as models walked the runway. The show culminated with a triology of bulbous, pleated skirts that billowed with effortless grace. A captivating silhouette echoing the fluidity of Faithfull’s own presence—bold yet vulnerable, intimate yet provocative—fashion that invites surrender.
Joshua Graham, Fashion Features Editor
At The Holy Tavern in Clerkenwell, Paolo Carzana staged Dragons Unwinged at the Butcher’s Block, the final act in his Trilogy of Hope. More than a runway show, it was a cinematic experience—an exploration of what fashion should be, with garments crafted for movement, their silhouettes spiralling and shifting as models walked. Carzana’s vision feels untethered from time, his hand-dyed fabrics imbued with logwood, turmeric, madder, and cochineal, forming a palette of pinks, purples, and yellows that seemed to glow from within.
With his close-knit collaborators, like stylist Patricia Villirillo, headwear by Nasir Mazhar, and Laura Holmes behind the production, the show was a deeply personal and intimate experience. A quiet rebellion against today’s industry norms. At a time when AI threatens to erase human touch and queerness remains under attack, his artistry stands as an act of defiance. This is fashion as poetry, as protest, as permanence—existing on its own terms while remaining unapologetically beautiful.
Nicola Gribben, Film Editor
Googling Jawara Alleyne will bring up a string of headlines about how he is Rihanna’s favourite designer. But for London Fashion Week, Jawara may just be the (jersey) string holding things together. This season, the Jamaican-Caymanian designer grappled with ideas of ‘Construction’—in cloth, in space, and in identity. His signature safety pins and drapery were present but refreshed with new iterations and techniques: pattern-clashed stripes sliced and revealed over one another in a T-shirt, shocks of draped red mesh sculpting a new, sultry silhouette for a dress.
Jawara’s work sits at the intersection of opposing forces—whether in the points of fastening and flowing within his fabrication or in the constant push-and-pull of the wider world that his designs exist within. There’s a beauty that comes from its movement—something that has been translated from the runway through to editorial campaigns. In (what some would describe as) a struggling schedule this season, Jawara’s shows are always a highlight: a good vibe, a better soundtrack, and genuinely eye-catching designs.
Stella Hughes, Social Media Editor