It’s been a tough year for British fashion: financial challenges have hit names across the industry, from beloved e-store Matchesfashion to cult label The Vampire’s Wife. And yet, despite the difficult backdrop it exists within, London still shines bright. The first day of London Fashion Week reminded us why the city deserves its reputation as the birthplace of creativity and innovation.
As London Fashion Week celebrates its 40th anniversary, a host of new names has joined the runway roster. There’s a buzz in the city and a welcome positivity filling the air. It’s fair to say this season feels a little different. The opening shows displayed why London, with all its eclecticism, is the place where true artistry is best celebrated.
The proceedings started on Thursday with Harris Reed’s seasonal Tate Modern takeover, which featured a appearance from model Debra Shaw, who sported a shining display of the designer’s avant-garde works. As excepted, waists were cinched, skirts were fishtail, shoulders were accentuated, and the audience was peppered with Reed’s community of loyalists including Maxim Magnus, Erin O’Connor and Ellie Goulding.
Friday’s hot ticket was S.S. Daley’s return to the London Fashion Week schedule. Hot off the heels from receiving the 2024 Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, Daley’s show delivered on expertise and star power, with Emma Corrin and Harry Styles, now a minority shareholder in the S.S. Daley brand, sitting front row. After skipping the September schedule last year and opting to show at Pitti Uomo’s 105th edition in Florence back in January, SS25 felt like a proper homecoming for the Liverpudlian designer.
Sebastian Croft and Emma Corrin front row at S.S. Daley SS25, Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
Initially, the news that the menswear expert would be presenting his first full womenswear collection came as a surprise. Yet the collection proved why he’s arguably London’s most exciting name. Inspired by British gender non-conforming artist Gluck, the designer applied his menswear training to the female form, in a continuation of his queering of tradition and identities. The hallowed halls of the Royal Academy set the scene for Daley’s tribute to great British art.
An appreciation of the arts spread across the day, as Completetedworks hosted its first official runway show in leafy Gordon Square. Last season, the accessories brand founder Anna Jewsbury enlisted Joanna Lumley to perform in the spoken word while this time she sought Glee star Dianna Agron to embody her vision. Distorted mirrored boxes reflecting the greenery were placed in the square, as Agron, Lily Cole and a live violinist circled the space while a three-act poem boomed from the surrounding speakers. ‘It’s exciting to push the boundaries of what is typically expected of an accessories brand and how we are used to seeing collections be presented,’ Jewsbury said, following the show.
Chet Lo, too, applied artisanal details to his signature technical knits for SS25. Frothy looks opened the show, which was an ode to his mother, and a new, finer knit was introduced, adorned with delicate floral beads. Awash with shades of blue, the collection felt dreamier and softer than previous shows, putting Lo’s crafting capabilities on display.
To close day one of London Fashion Week, Chopova Lowena took audiences to the basement level of Shoreditch Town Hall. A true bastion of eccentricity, known for its blending of punk and folklore, the brand’s SS25 show was soundtracked by a mash-up of heavy metal, jungle and techno beats, all emitting heavy bass that shook the underground space.
The Ditch, as the invite read, was a fitting backdrop for the brand’s celebration of the subculture that enriches the city. The intimate affair allowed spectators to get up close and personal with its sashaying pleated skirts, jangling bell embellishments and billowing sequin tulle.
If day one is anything to go by, this season it seems brands are inheriting the desire to disrupt that London is best known for. Following in the footsteps of the old guard who came 40 years before them, day one of its spring/summer 2025 shows proved that London fashion won’t lose its bite.
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