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Street style at London Fashion Week
Street style at London Fashion Week Kuba Dabrowski/WWD

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

Temperley London RTW Fall 2020

Alice Temperley invited swing and jazz dancers to don her clothes and perform for guests during a cocktail…

Petar Petrov RTW Fall 2020

For his catwalk debut, Petrov refined his signatures and delivered a collection that felt relevant and…

Goat RTW Fall 2020

Blouses came with men's style ties at the front or with Seventies micro prints and oversize collars.

Matty Bovan RTW Fall 2020

Bovan delivered a loud, joyful concoction of rich textures, loud colors and larger-than-life silhouettes.

16Arlington RTW Fall 2020

Marco Capaldo and Kikka Cavenati dialled up the glamour and delivered a confident, joyful range.

Shrimps RTW Fall 2020

Outerwear was the star of this runway drama.

Ashley Williams RTW Fall 2020

Williams' collection was a hodgepodge of prints and styles.

Yuhan Wang RTW Fall 2020

Wang's collection felt strong and optimistic, despite being inspired by the Victorian rituals of mourning and…

Ones to Watch at London Fashion Week

Yuhan Wang, Charlotte Knowles, Nara Niro and Alighieri's Rosh Mahtani are some of the names to watch during…

Eat, Watch, Wander and Work Out at the New London Hotspots

After all, who can live on fashion alone?

EXCLUSIVE: MM6 Maison Margiela Teams With The North Face

The collaboration will be unveiled at MM6's show on Feb. 16 during London Fashion Week.

Gucci, Tom Ford and More to Stream Fashion Week Shows on YouTube

The video platform will stream more than 20 fashion shows from New York, London, Milan and Paris.

Street Style Trends Varied From City to City in 2019

Street style trends varied from basic in New York to wild in Milan in 2019.

New York Fashion Week Tops Media Impact, According to DMR Group

More than 38 percent of the total earned media value generated during the fashion marathon was achieved in…

Beyond T-Shirts and Denim: Innovation Transforms Cotton at Fashion Weeks Around the Globe

Cotton has "grown up" and evolved from tried-and-true classic staples like T-shirts and denim jeans.