All the best highlights from London Fashion Week 2023

With fashion week season upon us, there’s a sartorial-esque energy in the air, and a different kind of rush to witness elegant struts, timeless silhouettes, and innovative designs. London Fashion Week has officially begun and we couldn’t be more excited, for someone once said, “London is synonymous with being fearless.” As always, London Fashion Week has brought together some of the most creative and innovative minds in fashion, culture, and technology to put together this five-day soiree taking place in some of the city’s iconic spaces such as the Somerset House and The Strand. From legendary fashion houses such as Burberry, Molly Godard and JW Anderson to new-age designers like Harri, London Fashion Week represents the perfect blend of classicism and contemporary craft. Attended by the Crème de la crème of the world including celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Winnie Harlow, it's definitely a grand affair. Here are some of our favourite moments from London Fashion Week 2023. 

September 19: Day Five

The final day saw designer 8ON8 make its much-awaited comeback to the London Fashion Week since the pandemic with Li Gong’s Peak Time Forest Spring Summer 2024 collection. His collection brought together two environments—the forest and the city—together. Along with knee-high socks and armbands worn around the thigh, the models also walked the ramp in trainers from 8ON8’s footwear collaboration with Asics. 

Ukraine's couture-to-wear brand, Frolov, founded by Ivan Frolov, debuted as a standalone designer at the London Fashion Week. Through his creations, he threw a spotlight on the pride and resilience of his homeland, and the challenges his country is facing due to the ongoing war with Russia. He sought inspiration from themes such as youthfulness, playfulness, and freedom with a collection titled Moloda, which in Ukrainian means ‘young girl’. This was reflected in sculpture-like silhouettes decorated with roses alongside the brand’s signature hearts incorporated in the form of an ultrasound print on silk robe dresses. Frolov also included corsets featuring heart detailing and stockings embellished with Swarovski crystals. 

 

September 18: Day Four

 

 

The penultimate day of the fashion week ensured that there was absolutely no one feeling the Monday blues as Tolu Coker opened Monday morning’s schedule with a highly-anticipated Newgen debut celebrating the cultural impact of the Yoruba—Nigeria’s second-largest ethnic group. One got to see light and breezy midi skirts that went well with leather shirts and long coats. Add to that there were blazers in blue, olive, and grey that were paired with grass-woven bucket bags. 

 

 

Then there was Ashish who showcased his collection at the Nobu Hotel. Giving attendees a glimpse of what to expect from one of the most-loved labels from London. The designer's first look was a floor-length gown that was covered in a pastel rainbow star print as models walked the ramp to Doris Day’s Dream a Little Dream of Me.

 

Daniel Lee's show for Burberry was the one that everyone was waiting for and he sure didn't disappoint. There were trench coats in leather that were given large Nova Check collars.

One also got to see a lot of handbags, ranging from white leather shoulder barrels to functional crossbody styles with large silver clasp clips.

 

 

The last look in the show was a pair of dark navy suit trousers, worn with nothing but a belt featuring a large silver Burberry logo buckle. 

 

September 17: Day Three 

 

 

Day three at London Fashion Week saw some stunning moments on the runway and off it, with designers such as Matty Bovan, whose collection was all things bright and vibrant with an assortment of fabrics, prints, and vivacious elements. Models, Ashley Graham and Winnie Harlow were seen walking the ramp as beautifully as ever. This was followed by an outdoor showcase by the Norwegian label Holzweiler whose collection screamed cottagecore and a minimalistic aesthetic. Simone Rocha's collection was a play of timeless silhouettes, classic tones, and experiments elements on each ensemble.

 

Known for her extreme cut-outs, bold prints, and a blend of psychedelic and pop-culture aesthetic to each of the outfits, Sinead Gorey's collection was a reflection of just that. Other designers and labels included Erdem, Atelier Zuhra, Tove and Susan Fang. 

September 16: Day Two

The second day saw Harri, the Kerala-born London-based designer wow audiences with his inflatable latex clothing as he showcased his collection at London’s Old Selfridges Hotel. 

One of the most fascinating collections on display was the one by JW Anderson who created wearable three-dimensional sculptures crafted from clay. To begin with, the invite to the show got attendees intrigued as it was a tinted block of clay for them to play with. The hydrated material was later transported to the runway, molded into cropped tees and folded denim shorts.

 

That was followed by South Korean designer Eudon Choi showcase her stylish and graceful collection in the garden of a church in central London. With her collection inspired by French Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot, one got to witness monochrome looks with a neutral colour palette. By blending transparent and opaque fabrics, she was about to seamlessly transition the outfits from day to evening wear and also implemented floral patterns and the contrast of black and white. 

 

There was also Roksanda Ilincic, the founder of fashion brand Roksanda, whose collection was inspired by the monasteries of her native Serbia. Tall headdresses worn by models at her show resembled those worn by Orthodox priests. The garments included silk dresses and capes that were accessorised with large jewellery items. 

September 15: Day One

The first day got off to a flier with the Vogue World event that was hosted at the iconic Theatre Royal Drury Lane as one celebrated all things British theatre and fashion. It had Britain's top stars from the world of fashion and entertainment in attendance to watch editors Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful present their autumn/winter 2023 collections in a live runway show. 

Amongst the looks that stood out was Sienna Miller proudly showed off her baby bump in Schiaparelli.

Add to her, there were also the likes of Ncuti Gatwa, Winnie Harlow in Zuhair Murad, Kate Winslet in a Paul Smith suit, and Gemma Chan amongst others who made sure everyone had their eyes on them. 

 

It was Stephan Cooke who opened the London Fashion Week schedule for Spring/Summer 2024 in a collection titled 'Away' that had a lot of references to the deep blue sea. The looks included faded pastel blankets that were converted into ponchos and many bare-chested models wearing kilts. 

 

Up next, it was Natasha Zinko who gave the fashion world a gothic campsite with a collection that was perfectly named 'THE CAMP'. It witnessed models storm through the park at Central London’s Soho Square looking as fierce as ever as they prepared for battle with backpacks and camping gear. The uniforms for these soldiers were as futuristic as ever as they included camo prints and denim that were multiplied in layers. Furthermore, one also saw hoodies flipped inside out while housing tents were transformed into voluminous dresses with inflated hemlines. 

 

The best was saved for the last as Priya Ahluwalia's Spring/Summer 2024 runway show saw her pay tribute to her African heritage. Hosted inside London’s British Library, the show, had beating drums and African chants playing in the background. The collection had a lot of vibrant colours along with floral patterns seen on cardigans and denim wear paired with track pants and also saw warped zebra prints on navy boiler suits and collarless jackets. 

September 14

In the lead up to London Fashion Week, we saw a host of events that celebrated the ever-evolving world of fashion and its many nuances such as the use of technology, education in fashion, inclusivity and more. The British Fashion Council hosted a panel discussion on navigating digital fashion and the market for it. This was followed by the launch of accessory brand Nosakhari's film festival with a premier of the film Able,