17 highlights from London Fashion Week in February 2024

A recent report from the British Fashion Council confirms that the fashion industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. An estimated £28.9bn of gross value added was contributed to the economy in 2021, comparable in size to the contribution made by the automotive industry. And the driving force behind this industry is London Fashion Week, a semi-annual event that celebrates its 40th anniversary this month. London Fashion Week strongly supports new talent through its NewGen program and through the support of great organizations such as Fashion Scout and Global Fashion Collective. LFW’s anniversary edition featured 67 designers, showcasing collections by many emerging designers, including several who debuted this season. Here are 17 highlights, including emerging and established brands.

British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker’s runway show was a joyous spectacle filled with tires, food carts with brightly colored umbrellas, and live music. Her designs for this show were similarly eclectic. She wore both long and cropped leather coats, a parka under a long wool coat, and a gown over her pants. This is a young designer with a passion for using fashion for social change. Coker traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in collaboration with Vlisco and The City of Joy, where she designed a collection honoring the lives of female rape victims of war violence. And in 2020, she collaborated with the charity Choose Love for London Fashion Week to create a special T-shirt in honor of the communities she touched during her time in Rwanda.

British designer Saul Nash’s genderless sportswear has gone from strength to strength with his dance-inspired designs and clever collaborations with Gucci, Adidas and Mercedes-Benz. This season’s collection features the iconic ‘smiley face’ in some of his designs. Saul Nash worked with Smiley, founded by former French journalist Franklin Roufrani, who created and trademarked the smiley face in 1972 to highlight good news. Currently, one of the company’s initiatives is his Future Positive Creators Fund, his £500,000 fund and mentorship support scheme aimed at supporting innovative designers at the global Fashion Week. is.

Stylist and creative director Deborah Latouche’s new collection takes inspiration from Dominique Devereux, a groundbreaking woman and 1980s icon, the powerful, glamorous, and independent businesswoman from the hit 1980s TV show. I’m getting it. dynasty. The color palette is peach and cream juxtaposed with shades of tobacco, silver, and gold. Antique jewels accent the perfectly cut silhouette, while a powdery pink feather hat and delicate lace eyepieces by Piers Atkinson complete the vintage charm. With sustainability always in mind, the collection uses premium post-consumer fabrics sourced in Italy and tailored and manufactured in London.

Another great collection by Irish designer Robin Lynch. This time around his collaboration with CP Company includes the Italian sportswear designer upcycling outerwear from his brand’s past collections to create a capsule of one-off designs. she says: “It was really fascinating to take apart the garments and learn about their impressive constructions, details, and finishes. All of these elements have definitely influenced the way I design for each garment. We thought about the purpose and the different parts of it.” A perfect example is the CP Company’s goggle jacket. This is a signature outerwear design first created for the legendary Mille Miglia car race in 1988. The original CP Company item has been remixed and the classic goggles are now embossed with the new Robin Lynch logo.

New British menswear brand Denzil Patrick is led by creative director Daniel Gale, former studio and design director for Philip Lim, Kenzo and Victoria Beckham. The London-based brand captures the spirit and stories of the city and its identity, with its Fall/Winter 2024 collection drawing inspiration from dance venues and former music halls. Crisp logo-print jackets, shirt-and-tie combinations, and sportswear are complemented by smocking nylon, tails, and ruffles that give them evening dress appeal. The bomber jacket is decorated with antique buttons. Sports-inspired outerwear is cut from theatrical upholstery fabrics, and cropped blousons and pants look salvaged from the remains of velvet seats.

British-Canadian designer Edeline Lee, known for her beautiful and creative presentations, has unveiled her latest collection this season. Mother and daughterIn a luxurious townhouse restaurant surrounded by artwork owned by Galerie Hauser & Wirs. Featuring 33 portraits of her mothers and daughters wearing her timeless designs, the women come from the worlds of art, culture, fashion and academia, including Professor Mary Beard, actor Olivia Williams, trendRosie Vogel Eades, Global Talent Casting Director, and her daughters. Her Flou Bubble Jacquard, with the brand’s signature pebble pattern, appears on a range of beautiful dresses in a palette of navy, black, burgundy, ivory and lilac, as well as gorgeous pantsuits in black or white.

A front row crowd watched, including actor Andrew Scott (free bag(Hot Priest), this season Mithridate wowed runway guests with a variety of mystical and dreamy looks. The brand has partnered with British shoe brand Roker to introduce a line of custom Roker designs inspired by the concepts of destiny and existence through the lens of astrology. Staying true to Mithridate’s original hand-painted constellation designs, this collaboration fuses Mithridate’s intricate style and skilled craftsmanship, using crystal embellishments and innovative hot drilling techniques to create a free-spirited archer. The constellation pattern of the zodiac and fearless Scorpio is represented.

Fresh out of fashion college, German-born Eastwood Danso collaborated with Converse and Nike for his first London show of 2019. For this new collection, he customized Dr. Martens shoes. In 2016, while still in high school, German-born Eastwood launched his own eponymous menswear brand. Led by Samuel Ross, his creative director at A-Cold-Wall*. This is another young designer who is clearly on the rise.His ready-to-wear designs reference his family archives Not just figures from the mid-80s to early 2000s, but also historical figures like Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president., Pictured in Parker.

The Genaro Rivas AW24 collection was the first collection by a Peruvian designer to be presented on the official BFC LFW schedule in its 40-year history.collection beautiful james Made in East London using Peruvian materials such as alpaca, it represents the fusion of Genaro’s South American roots with his East London heritage. It combines a contemporary silhouette with a more classic shape. The collection was created in a highly collaborative way, reflecting Rivas’ belief that fashion should have a purpose for as many people as possible. Many makers, based in both East London and Peru, contributed in some unique way and helped build local communities that come together for creative expression.

Innovation and collaboration are key to Indian designer Kanika Goyal’s new collection. Her fabrics honor Indian craftsmanship and she uses local master artisans from New Delhi for her embroidery. Surplus fabrics from the factory were reused, and old and new were fused to pay homage to Kanika’s heritage and upbringing. The jacket and pants are woven from thin strips of deadstock denim, and the dress is made from patches of unused denim. The materials respect past collections and share resources to reduce our environmental footprint. A standout is the upcycled denim two-piece. Belts, bags, accessories and trim were made from surplus leather offcuts sourced from the rest of the factory’s inventory.

Edward Crutchley explores fashion free from gender constraints. He explores themes that move between social, historical and cultural perspectives, and his new collection references ancient Greece. East London’s historic Iron Mongers Hall hosted a runway featuring a stunning array of pieces, including animal prints, ruffles, tapestries, crocheted dresses, big shoulders, puffer bombers, and touches of latex. I did.

A fashion factory nurtured by successful jewelry makers in both New York and China became Samantha Siu’s playground. She trained at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where she developed her passion for wax carving. This wax carving is a nearly forgotten craft that originated in Asia and the Middle East before 4,000 BC. She incorporates wax carving techniques into her jewelry making process, creating impactful designs with reversible back necklaces.

Based between Shanghai and London and inspired by cartography, Zeng Yue and Hu Fanding, founders of Momonary, have collaborated with Post-It Notes and sellotape company 3M to create London fashion collections. It debuted at Week. Innovating on the catwalk, over 40% of his looks shown on the catwalk incorporate his 3M Thinsulate™ innovation for warmth, breathability and lightness. The dreamy collection includes overcoats, jackets, shirts and dresses in tan, pale pink and dark brown, sometimes with beautiful appliqués of flower petals and gemstones.

Presented by Ones To Watch at Fashion Scout, this new luxury brand hails from Kazakhstan and is currently based in Florence, creating unique handcrafted pieces. Combining cashmere and high-quality textiles produced by long-established European manufacturers, we use traditional textile production techniques to create contemporary silhouettes. Contemporary silhouettes and materials.

Alex S. Yu’s collection, presented in London by fashion producer Global Fashion Collective, is filled with brightly colored tulle pieces, archival prints and plenty of ruffles. Always creative, the brand enjoys a palette of bright colors, dynamic prints, unconventional shapes and varied textures.

London’s legendary nightclub Haven was the ideal location for Sinead Gorey’s vibrant new collection, inspired by British youth culture circa 2000. This season’s collaboration with era-defining label Ed His Hardy is a fitting throwback to Goalie and Goalie’s diamante-encrusted, tattooed outfits. Her girl gang rocked her youth. Tartan, Union Jack print prom her dress, patchwork taffeta bodice, hair scrunchie, punk badge, micro her skirt. PVC, wool twin sets, crush pop socks and evening her gloves all make up a glorious and loud collection.

Luxury women’s clothing designed by Rachel Allpress features gorgeous coats, capes, jackets and vests made from super-soft, lightweight shearling. Handcrafted in the London artisan workshop that also works with brands such as McQueen, Alice Temperley and Ray, the garments are made with natural dyes and come in neutrals, jewel tones and leopard print. The luxury brand is on display at a pop-up shop on Chelsea’s King’s Road during London Fashion Week (until February 25).