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
Topshop RTW Fall 2017
New Topshop chief executive Paul Price said he expected the shearling coat worn by Adwoa Aboah to open the…
Roland Mouret Debuts Fragrance During London Fashion Week
The fragrance was created in partnership with Etat Libre d'Orange.
Roland Mouret RTW Spring 2018
Women — their imperfections and their unapologetic attitude — dominated Roland Mouret's thoughts for…
WWD Recommends
Edeline Lee RTW Spring 2018
Influenced by the notion of feminine courage, she said she imagined O'Keeffe and wanted to capture her brave…
Preen by Thornton Bregazzi RTW Spring 2018
Women's rights and a "feeling of anarchy in the world" inspired a collection that played with myriad versions…
Front Row at J.W. Anderson RTW Spring 2018
Jonathan Anderson scored a royal coup at his show on Saturday with a princess on his front row. A Disney…
Versus Versace RTW Spring 2018
Donatella Versace said she was going for a Nineties New York feel, those years when Versus was in its infancy…
Markus Lupfer RTW Spring 2018
Cheerfully decadent, the designer's collection was an homage to the hedonistic girl, in love with excess.
Björk Premieres New Music Video at LFW
She collaborated with Alessandro Michele on the film's mesmerizing dress.
Ports 1961 RTW Spring 2018
An optimistic color palette and breezy, masculine-meets-feminine shapes added up to a chic, modern…
Halpern RTW Spring 2018
Designer Michael Halpern introduced sculptural silhouettes and slinky pantsuits to his sparkling, after-dark…
Phoebe English RTW Spring 2018
The designer teamed with puppet-maker Judith Hope and presented her spring range with an immersive…
Animal Rights Activists Protest Outside Burberry Show
It is understood there is no fur in Burberry's see-now-buy-now "September" collection for men and women.
Fashion East RTW Spring 2018
An experimental, cross-cultural and playful approach wove through these emerging designers' collections.
Simone Rocha RTW Spring 2018
There was an eerie Victorian edge to this collection that showcased sweeps of satin and tulle, flashes of…