Future Facing & Milestone Making: On 40 Years Of London Fashion Week
Those who sat front row at the very first London Fashion Week in 1984 might struggle to recognise the 2024 iteration. Back then, it was an industry event for insiders, who came armed with notebooks, not phones. There were no celebrities on the front row. As for social-media influencers, they didn’t even exist. It was a period when gritty club culture dominated the city’s creative scene, and that offbeat energy filtered into the catwalk collections; commercial success was lower down on the agenda.
As the decades have passed, trends have come and gone and faces on magazine covers have changed. But the beating heart of what makes London fashion, well, London fashion, has not.
The creativity that defines the city’s brightest stars has remained a constant over the past 40 years, with the fearlessness shown when John Galliano and Alexander McQueen first made their debuts in London remaining. Today, with the British Fashion Council’s support, London Fashion Week continues to discover and platform globally revered names including Simone Rocha and Erdem, new-age houses such as 16Arlington and Chopova Lowena, and a host of box-fresh young talents intent on doing things their way. There are many reasons why Burberry opts to continually show in the city that made its name, and one of them is the originality the brand can surround itself with. Call us biased, but London Fashion Week is truly special. Here’s a reminder why...
London Fashion Week Reception, 1984
Katharine Hamnett sends a message at 10 Downing Street.
Vivienne Westwood, AW93
Naomi Campbell gets back up again.
Alexander McQueen, SS99
Shalom Harlow is Alexander McQueen's painted lady.
Chalayan, AW00
Chalayan becomes a part of the furniture.
Maria Grachvogel, AW00
Before turning her own hand to design, Victoria Beckham struts out at Maria Grachvogel AW00.
Christopher Kane, SS07
The Central Saint Martins graduate ushers in a bright new look for London Fashion Week.
House of Holland, AW07
House of Holland says it loud with slogans.
Matthew Williamson, SS07
Prince serenades the front row.
JW Anderson, SS13
Jonathan Anderson redefines menswear with his eponymous label.
Burberry, AW12
Burberry becomes London Fashion Week's hottest ticket.
Topshop Unique, SS16
The Bella Hadid era begins on the Topshop catwalk.
Richard Quinn, AW18
Queen Elizabeth II makes her FROW debut at Richard Quinn.
Simone Rocha, AW22
Simone Rocha masters folkloric beauty.
16Arlington, SS23
Size matters as London Fashion Week shapes up with body inclusivity at 16Arlington.
And now to the future...
With Burberry firmly embedded on home turf once again, it's time to look to what's next for the world's most rebellious fashion city.
Feben
All eyes on the designer's surrealist sex appeal.
Harris Reed
The designer makes his first on-schedule appearance this September. Expect the drama.
Nensi Djoaka
The designer returns to the catwalk with huge anticipation.
Ahluwalia
The Ahluwalia universe continues to expand and so does the love for its namesake designer.
Chet Lo
Knitwear might be how he made his name but Lo continues to prove there's much else in his arsenal.
Aaron Esh
In the hands of Esh, grunge never looked so chic. We can't wait to see what he does next.
Chopova Lowena
It's time to realise that it's Emma and Laura's world, we're just living in it.
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