30 September 2026 |
Baba Yaga, synaesthesia, and heat wave dressing kept things interesting.
The fashion pack might be solidly in Paris mode at the moment but allow us to rewind a bit to London. After all, it takes a minute to digest the collections and boy did the city give us plenty to take in. McQueen made a homecoming, setting the scene in an awe-inspiring location while Christopher Kane debuted his vision for Mulberry. Stalwarts like Simone Rocha continue to create beautiful clothing for women, designed by women, while Burberry has a knack for closing things out in grand fashion. And yet, it wasn’t just these big names that lingered in our minds. From a collection inspired by witchy women and iconoclasts to clothing derived from synesthesia to outfits designed to survive our new climate reality, these are the other moments we loved from London fashion week.
1. Chopova Lowena is So Ready For Spooky Season
A Chopova Lowena show is a vibe and the tone was set from the moment guests stepped into the venue: Bloomsbury Lanes. The bowling alley was decorated in honor of spooky season with ominous red lights and cobwebbed picket fences greeting guests as they walked in. It tracks, given that Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena drew from folklore that ranged from the legend of Baba Yaga to the mischievous house fairy Kikimora to Marzanna, the goddess of winter, death, and rebirth. Toss in Marion Ladewig, a 1950s housewife turned pro bowler, a soundtrack that included an EDM-remix of Paramore’s “Decode” from Twilight, some cute dog models, and you had the making of a very good night. The models felt that energy. Clad in the brand’s signature carabiner skirts mixed in with bra tops, puff sleeve tops, and patchworked knits, they stomped down the runway with a petulant, bratty energy that made everyone in the room want to be an unapologetic Chopova girl.
2. Petra Fagerström is Anti-A.I. Fashion
Swedish designer Petra Fagerström first caught our eye three years ago, when she won the Mercedes Benz Sustainability Award at the Festival D’Hyeres. Now, fresh from getting her master’s degree at Central Saint Martins in 2025, she’s ready to make her presence on the London runways known. The designer mentioned to Vogue that her desire to combine ‘50s ladylike silhouettes with streetwear caused A.I. to glitch, and it was this glitch that really inspired her — it’s also definitive proof that robots will never be able to replicate true creativity. Consisting of a tight 22 look collection that included crisp pleated skirts, sliced leather tanks, and an extremely cool finale outfit consisting of a backless silver sequin dress worn over torn jeans, it’s safe to say Fagerström has plenty of ideas and they’re resonating with the fashion folk.
3. An Emotional, Couture-Like Approach By Pauline Dujancourt
Synaesthesia is an interesting phenomenon. What color is the number three? Can a symphony have a smell? For designer Pauline Dujancourt, who experiences the condition, it manifested as she was reading The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, a play in which the main character is a female fashion designer. Dujancourt saw tears made of delicate knit flowers and so her latest collection came to life. Opening with a delicate sheer dress with blooms that dripped over the hips, each subsequent look had a haunting beauty anchored by these embellishments. But perhaps the finale gown was most striking — consisting of 700 tiny flowers that were made by hand and required 10 to 15 minutes to create, the painstaking work was worth every second.
4. A.Letter is the Next British Label to Know
Consisting of the duo Matt Empringham and Freddy Coombes, A.Letter’s runway debut was a highlight on the Friday of London fashion week. So much so, that guests happily went out to East London to take in the 27 look collection. The duo, who met at Central Saint Martins, have been making two-dimensional “clothes” and this was their first foray into pieces worn by three-dimensional humans. Inspired by classic British working class pieces: a workwear coat, a button up shirt, and a pinafore dress, the models wore iterations of each, rendered in fabrics ranging from gingham to silk to nylon. Everything felt a little off — you can tell that hands touched every outfit and served as yet another reminder that what we’re all craving is a sense of humanity in every aspect of our lives.
5. Ahluwahlia’s Sporty Take on Formalism
Priya Ahluwalia has been steadily making a name for herself with her clothes drawn from her cross-cultural upbringing. For spring 2027 she looked to Festac ’77, a festival held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977 that drew artists, thinkers, and other creatives from across Africa and the diaspora as well as the Black Panthers. That translated into slouchy suiting and denim co-ords worn with matching tilted berets as well as vividly printed sporty-inspired shirting and body con dresses. A collaboration with Puma was a highlight, as tracksuits were styled with swishy skirts or interspliced with gauzy chiffon panels, blurring the lines between daytime and nighttime.
6. Talia Byre’s Dreamy Warm Weather Wardrobe
Normally anything bridal-inspired immediately brings to mind visions of lacy gowns and long trains but for Talia Byre, a foray into wedding attire was simply the recipe for elegant summer dressing. White and cream skinny trousers (yes, the silhouette is shifting back to slimmer styles!) and breezy dresses have all the making of a dream vacation wardrobe while thin knits and shirting lend a layer of practicality. Byre also looked to the works of British artist Dillwyn Smith, namely his Placebo Paintings. Consisting of fabrics that stretch across the frame, the idea of transformation played heavily into the designer’s collection — what are clothes except a means to play with identity? As such you’ll find cargo trousers and mini skirts alongside corset tops in woven jacquard. And for those who are fans of her stripes, don’t worry there was plenty of that as well.
7. Toga Takes on Heatwave Dressing
The world is getting hotter, that’s a harsh reality as climate change comes for us all. And for Toga’s Yasuko Furuta, it was also a brutal awakening as she spent a week in Paris during a heatwave. Given that the city is not known for air conditioning, seeing how people approached the sweltering temperatures helped inform Furuta’s latest collection. Full of lighter, more revealing clothes like bralettes, tank tops, and short skirts, everything is designed to show plenty of skin. Of course, she does offer other styles like blazers and trousers that are more modest and reflect an understanding of the needs of her fans but it wasn’t all serious. Bits of fun included silver makeup applied to the ears and oversized reflective visors worn over the face — the ultimate in sun protection style. Of note: next year marks the 30th anniversary of the brand, something we’re definitely looking forward to.
