LFW SS25: What not to miss

London Fashion Week officially kicks off on Thursday, September 12, with a 72-strong line-up of emerging and established designers, including Burberry, Roksanda, JW Anderson and Harris Reed, as it culminates its 40th-anniversary celebrations.

Running until September 17, the spring/summer 2025 showcase has a packed on-schedule line-up of 48 catwalk shows, 17 presentations, and 63 events, alongside 17 digital activations, available on the official digital hub online.

Highlights will include Richard Quinn, Erdem, Nensi Dojaka, Labrum London, and Tolu Coker, as well as the return of S.S. Daley, Patrick McDowell, Phoebe English, and the newly crowned Savoir-Faire Prize winner at the 2024 LVMH Prize, Standing Ground by designer Michael Stewart. In addition, New York-based ready-to-wear label Puppets & Puppets will be switching to LFW from NYFW.

There will also be a host of BFC NewGen designers making their catwalk debut this season, including Charlie Constantinou, Johanna Parv, Karoline Vitto, Lueder, Pauline Dujancourt and Yaku. This season, the NewGen cohorts will return to LFW’s former home of 180 The Strand.

This season, Hu Bing also celebrates his 10th anniversary as the BFC LFW Ambassador for China with the launch of ‘Hu Bing Selects,’ a new initiative that provides a platform for Chinese design talent on a global stage and supports the BFC to build closer ties with the Chinese fashion industry. This season, Chinese designer Consistence will present their collection at the BFC NewGen space.

LFW40 celebrations continue

LFW’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, which kicked off in February and continued in June, will conclude this September with a host of activations, including a retrospective at 180 The Strand curated by Sarah Mower, BFC ambassador for emerging talent, and Robin Derrick, creative director, taking visitors on a journey from the event's inception at Olympia to present day.

The BFC is also teaming up with 1664 Blanc to produce ‘Le Journal Bleu,’ a limited edition free takeaway commemorative newspaper, in honour of LFW’s 40th anniversary, including designer interviews, memorable shows, and looks.

In addition, the official LFW venue will host a bookstore featuring more than 150 rare and unique books focused on fashion, culture and creativity, curated by Reference Point & Record28. Toni&Guy, the official hair partner of LFW, will also host a salon station.

The BFC has also expanded its consumer-facing City Wide Celebrations (CWC) programme of events and activations to include Manchester and Newcastle for the first time.

Raeburn 15 Retrospective exhibition

British designer Christopher Raeburn, known for being a pioneer pushing forward change for responsible fashion design and was named global creative director of Napapijri last November, will be celebrating 15 years of his signature label.

The exhibition, curated by visual storyteller Harris Elliott, will take place at Raeburn’s The Lab E20 and feature archival pieces, as well as many items that have never been displayed in public before. The event will launch with a private preview on September 14 and then be open to the public from September 15 to 17, from 12:00 - 17:00 each day.

Commenting on the exhibition, Raeburn said: “It seemed only right and proper that after fifteen years, I did a little something to celebrate; this exhibition charts a decade and a half or creativity, community and collaboration and my hope is that it will prove an inspiration for future generations, as well as being an opportunity to thank those that have done so much to build and support our efforts.

“It’s a full circle moment for myself and the brand as the retrospective will be held at The Lab E20, Stratford which is a stone’s throw from our first London studio on Fish Island, Hackney Wick.”

On Running to make LFW debut

Other additions to the schedule include running brand On and artist, singer and dancer FKA Twigs, who was named the Swiss sportswear brand’s creative partner earlier this year, hosting a live performance of its ‘The Body is Art’ campaign.

The presentation taking place on September 16 will explore the “beautiful ways we train and move,” celebrating the art of the body through motion in an immersive art experience “that tells a story of strength, fragility, art, and empowerment”. The showcase will also feature a set design co-created by FKA Twigs and Arthur De Borman.

AllSaints celebrates 30th anniversary

British fashion brand AllSaints, founded in 1994, will be marking its 30th anniversary with a series of exclusive activations at the Serpentine Gallery in London from September 13 to 15. This will include a catwalk show during LFW for its spring/summer 2025 collection, as well as an exclusive dinner celebrating the launch of its new trio of fragrances with Scent Beauty.

The fashion retailer has also collaborated with 13 artists, who have personalised one of its iconic leather jackets, including its new vegan leather options, in their own distinct styles. The designs will be displayed in the gallery and auctioned off during a cocktail event on the final evening of its takeover, with all proceeds going to the retailer’s national charity partner, Shelter.

Resale gets its catwalk moment

Both Ebay and Vinted are hosting catwalk showcases during LFW on September 12. Vinted has teamed up with Oxfam as part of the charity’s sixth annual ‘Second Hand September’ campaign. The ‘Style for Change’ show will feature all pre-loved clothing styled by Bay Garnett, which will then be available to purchase on Vinted through Oxfam's online wardrobe shop.

Ebay will host its ‘Endless Runway’ event with a pre-loved collection curated by Ebay’s pre-loved style director Amy Bannerman and co-hosted by model and presenter Leomie Anderson. The looks include shoppable items from past collections and archival pieces from the designers and brands that have shaped the last four decades of London Fashion Week, including Christopher Kane to Molly Goddard will be available to buy via Ebay Live instantaneously, where the show will also be live streamed.

Brazil: Creating Fashion for Tomorrow exhibition

The Brazil: Creating Fashion for Tomorrow (BCFT) presents its second edition at the Embassy of Brazil, London, to open the London Fashion Week, with an exhibition spotlighting the pivotal role of women in the fashion industry. The ‘A Chain of Women’ exhibition features a curated selection of brands, sustainable initiatives and innovations led by talented Brazilian women from low-income communities, including designers PatBo, Farm Rio, Vix and Nannacay, and material sustainability and innovations in the country in partnership with Apex.

The exhibition will host an exclusive preview on September 12 and then be open to the public from September 13 to 17.

LFW The Standard Takeover: Fashion East, Knwls and Law Roach

From September 14 to 17, Résidence Cîroc will be taking over The Standard Hotel to spotlight talent from Lulu Kennedy’s incubator Fashion East, design duo Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault who form the label Knwls and US image architect Law Roach, who will be launching his debut book 'How To Build A Fashion Icon'.

The takeover will be transforming The Standard’s Junior Suites, private Townhouse 8, Sweeties cocktail bar and Decimo 10th-floor restaurant, with each room including a selection of collectables designed in collaboration with Knwls, such as playing cards, compact mirrors, eye masks, fans, cushions, notepads, coasters, wash bags, pens, martini glasses, and a limited-edition Cîroc x Knwls bottle.

Alo to host LFW wellness retreat

Fashion and lifestyle brand Alo is joining the LFW festivities with a wellness hub at 180 Strand as the official wellness partner of LFW. The three-day ‘Alo Oasis’ takeover, from September 13 to 15, will offer LFW visitors a tranquil retreat to refresh, recover, and recharge with daily yoga classes, cryo therapy, IV drips for quick hydration, as well as guided soundbaths and meditations.

Summer Nacewicz, executive vice president of marketing and creative at Alo Yoga, said: "This partnership is a powerful statement of our brand as we enter the London market. Alo represents a movement at the intersection of fashion and wellness, and the Alo Oasis perfectly captures this synergy. Amidst the intensity of Fashion Week, attendees can immerse themselves in cutting-edge wellness experiences that offer a moment of calm and rejuvenation."