London Fashion Week is one of the biggest global fashion weeks for a reason. A hotbed for new talent, the city has kickstarted the careers of countless major designers in its 40-year tenure. 

Drapers will be on the ground to report from the event, which runs from Thursday 12 September to Tuesday 17 September. Below, we outline the top events to look out for from the week ahead.

Harris Reed makes it official

Showing as a part of the official LFW schedule for the first time is Drapers’ 30 Under 30 alumni Harris Reed. Reed also holds the title of creative director at Nina Ricci, and it’s difficult to believe that their namesake demi-couture label has shown off-schedule up until this point. This season’s show, entitled Encore, will take place on Thursday night at the Tate Modern, which also played host for Reed for spring/summer 2024. 

Writing on Instagram on Sunday 8 September, the designer said: “This season is a true love letter to London. In a time of retailers going under, brands struggling, supporting London Fashion Week is more important than ever.” 

Resale goes runway

Resale giants eBay and Vinted will both host events on the evening of Thursday 12 September. eBay’s Endless Runway made its debut at New York Fashion Week on Thursday 5 September, and the London counterpart will be hosted by model Leomie Anderson and curated by eBay’s pre-loved style director, Amy Bannerman. All the looks will be available to buy via eBay Live instantaneously, where the show will also be live streamed. 

Vinted have teamed up with Oxfam, as part of Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign. The Style For Change runway show not only promises to be star-studded, but will also be styled by fashion-editor-slash-second-hand purveyor Bay Garnett. Every outfit shown on the catwalk will be available for purchase on Vinted through Oxfam’s online wardrobe shop.

Puppets & Puppets’ transatlantic debut

Puppets & Puppets made headlines earlier this year, as founder Carly Mark announced she was shutting her New York-based ready-to-wear line and moving to London to pursue the accessories side of the business. The brand is known for its playful handbag designs, which include banana shaped handles, 3-D cookie embellishments and waved leather purses. 

The autumn/winter 2024 show in February was its last in New York, but now it’s popping up in London with a presentation at the ICA on Friday night. It has amassed a cult following, and fans and critics alike will be eager to see the latest offering from Mark. 

On x FKA Twigs present The Body Is Art

As announced back in April, multi-hyphenate artist FKA Twigs was named by Swiss sports brand On as its creative partner and face of its autumn/winter 2024 collection. Deepening this partnership, the pair are hosting a live performance on Monday 16 September which promises to “explore the way we train and move through an immersive art experience”. 

Given the brand’s recent activity at the Paris Olympics last month, where it unveiled a spray-on sneaker with fellow brand ambassador Zendaya, this won’t be one to miss. 

Raeburn 15 Retrospective

British designer Christopher Raeburn, who was named global creative director of Napapijri last November, will be celebrating 15 years of creativity, community and collaboration with his namesake label Raeburn this LFW. 

Taking over The Lab E20 for a retrospective exhibition, and curated by visual storyteller Harris Elliott, it will feature many Raeburn items which have never before been displayed to the public. The event will launch with a private preview on Saturday 14 September, and will be open to the public from Sunday 15 September to Tuesday 17 September, from 12:00 – 17:00 each day.

 Fashion East, Knwls and Law Roach take over The Standard

From 14-17 September, Résidence Cîroc will be taking over The Standard hotel in King’s Cross to spotlight fashion’s brightest talent — including Fashion East, the designer incubator created by Lulu Kennedy MBE, design duo Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault who form the label Knwls, and US stylist/image architect Law Roach who will be launching his debut book How To Build A Fashion Icon. Cîroc will be giving consumers the chance to win complimentary stays at The Standard, exclusively designed merchandise and access to LFW shows.  

Speaking on the partnership, Lulu Kennedy commented: “We’re thrilled to partner with Cîroc to celebrate the Fashion East community this season, and to be alongside our very own alumni Knwls! Cîroc values the importance of genuine collaborations, something we’ve always championed, and we’re looking forward to raising a glass to our latest incredible group of designers joining the Fashion East family.”

This season’s Fashion East designers will be Olly Shinder, Sos Skyn, Loutre, Nuba and Kitty Shukman. The show will take place on Friday 13 September. Knwls will be showing on Sunday 15 September. 

Ahluwalia x Pandora

Another Drapers 30 Under 30 alumnus turned LFW staple is Priya Ahluwalia. Her namesake label will be hosting its show on Saturday 14 September and will feature an exclusive collaboration with Danish jewellery brand Pandora. In a similar fashion to Rotate at CPHFW last month, jewellery from Pandora’s collections has been selected to compliment Ahluwalia’s designs and create custom runway looks. 

Drapers caught up with Ahluwalia ahead of her show to discuss the upcoming collection – this will be available to read online later this week. 

LFW40 continues

LFW’s 40th anniversary celebrations began in February, continued in June and will conclude in September. As announced last week, more than 1,000 consumer events will be taking place across the UK, with the BFC’s City Wide Celebration (CWC) extending to Manchester and Newcastle for the first time. 

While London will play host to a wide range of consumer-facing events as usual, there will also be plenty going on behind the scenes. The Prime Minister will host the BFC and guests at a 10 Downing Street reception to celebrate and promote the British fashion industry, alongside senior sector leaders, government ministers, and the BFC network members. This will be an opportunity to introduce the sector’s priorities to the new government and maximise the potential momentum that a change in government offers the industry.

Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC, gives Drapers her ultimate guide to the spring/summer 2025 edition of LFW. Read it here. 

Finally, the BFC will close the week and the LFW40 celebrations with what London does best – an epic party. In collaboration with Burberry (showing on Monday 16 September), who have curated the music for the night and with partners 1664 Blanc and Hunter, the BFC are hosting a LFW40 Icons Party, to celebrate the designers and industry titans who have influenced and played a key role in establishing LFW as a world-class event over the last 40 years.