London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week stands alongside New York, Milan and Paris as part of the "Big Four" fashion weeks making up fashion month. It is the second fashion week taking place during fashion month, following New York and preceding Milan and Paris. London Fashion Week is the newest of the four — its first edition was organized in February 1984 by the British Fashion Council for the London Development Agency, held at the Commonwealth Institute's car park in Kensington.
London Fashion Week hosts spring collections shows in September, while fall collections are historically shown in February.
The city's fashion week was bolstered in 1985 when Princess Diana held a reception for various designers at Lancaster House.
In 1993, the British Fashion Council established the Newgen program, which helped support emerging designers. Newgen offers designers financial support, showcasing opportunities and mentoring to develop critical skills to help designers future-proof their businesses.
London Fashion Week has been through several venue changes, including Somerset House, Soho's Brewer Street and The Store Studios on The Strand, though many shows take place offsite at venues like Tate Modern and Royal Courts of Justice.
London's fashion scene was influenced early on from the city's clubs and counterculture — that vibe carries through to today, as many young, edgy designers show during London Fashion Week.
The city is known for classic British designs, including from Burberry. In recent years, eyes are also on Jonathan Anderson and his J.W. Anderson label, as well as Charles Jeffrey's Loverboy.
London Fashion Week has hosted its share of memorable moments, including Naomi Campbell walking topless for Philip Treacy in 1993; Spice Girl Mel B walking for Julien Macdonald in 1999; and Shalom Harlow twirling while robots spray painted her dress at Alexander McQueen's 1999 show.
London Fashion Week
Love Magazine Celebrates New Issue, New Appointments at LFW
Billy Porter, Bella Hadid, Courtney Love and Jacob Elordi welcomed Ben Cobb, Graham Rounthwaite and Oliver…
Edeline Lee RTW Fall 2020
The Apollo Theatre was a striking backdrop to Lee's collection of modern classics.
Bobby Abley RTW Fall 2020
Bobby Abley's collection was a kaleidoscope of prints.
The Swedish and Danish Embassies Talk Fur, New Materials During London Fashion Week
The International Fur Federation introduces Furmark, a new LVMH- and Kering-backed certification.
Pantone Picks an Optimistic Color Palette for London Fashion Week
Pantone selects a Fall/Winter 20-21 color palette for London Fashion Week that evokes purpose and…
Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid Celebrate the Launch of Photographer Renell Medrano’s Exhibition, Pampara
The cast of Top Boy and Tyler, the Creator were also in attendance.
MM6 Maison Margiela RTW Fall 2020
MM6 put their own spin on puffer jackets in a new collaboration with The North Face.
JW Anderson RTW Fall 2020
With this winning show, Anderson cemented his reputation as fashion's golden boy.
Phoebe English RTW Fall 2020
The designer crafted the collection from leftover fabric of a dozen of London-based fashion design studios.
Osman Opts for Arty Film Instead of Fashion Collection
Designer Osman Yousefzada presented the screening of a short movie intended to shed light on fast fashion and…
Tommy Hilfiger x Lewis x H.E.R. Spring 2020
Tommy Now returned to London with a more subdued show at Tate Modern that put the focus on sustainability.
Chalayan RTW Fall 2020
The biggest takeaway from this show was that the notoriously cerebral designer got up and sang.
At Tommy Now, the Real Front Row Walked the Show
Naomi Campbell opened the star-studded show, that included Erin O'Connor, Georgia May Jagger, Karen Elson…
Roksanda RTW Fall 2020
This kaleidoscope of a collection was one of Roksanda Ilincic's most powerful and strong on color and texture.
Margaret Howell RTW Fall 2020
Most of the models are styled with fisherman hat and combat boots, presumably to weather the heavy rains from…