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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

Dilara Findikoglu RTW Fall 2017

This was a "post-apocalyptic" collection from rebel designer Dilara Findikoglu, with no clear gender or…

Marques’ Almeida RTW Fall 2017

Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida sent out a high-energy collection with lots of graphic patterns and oversized…

Charlotte Olympia RTW Fall 2017

Charlotte Dellal created a witty short film in the film noir style, packed with clever shoe puns and heels…

J. JS Lee RTW Fall 2017

This playful collection experimented with proportions, nodding to the designer Jackie JS Lee's childhood…

Joseph RTW Fall 2017

There was a quirky, subversive air to Louise Trotter's offering for fall.

Burberry RTW February 2017

Christopher Bailey shifted direction for this second see-now, buy-now co-ed outing, inspired by one of his…

Christopher Kane RTW Fall 2017

Hard-edged yet appealing, this collection fused myriad design elements, from historic fabrics to futuristic…

Molly Goddard RTW Fall 2017

Warning: Molly Goddard is a big believer in fantasy frocks that can shine on a runway but are pretty much…

Pringle of Scotland RTW Fall 2017

Fran Stringer, women's design director, was another designer who proposed robust comfort clothing for fall.

Erdem RTW Fall 2017

The designer shifted his thinking this season, looking to his family's history – real and imagined - for…

Xiao Li RTW Fall 2017

Fusing an icy color palette with enveloping textures, Xiao Li's collection zeroed in on comforting winter…

Julien Macdonald RTW Fall 2017

The designer said he was inspired by "modern society, where technology rules the world...it's about being…

Halpern RTW Fall 2017

The buzzed-about Michael Halpern sent out a riot of sequinned garments in powerful shapes.

Antonio Berardi RTW Fall 2017

The treacherous Lady Macbeth was Antonio Berardi's muse for fall, compelling the designer to look to the…

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi RTW Fall 2017

Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi's beautifully poetic collection drew its references from Suffragettes and…