Keburia, founded by George Keburia in 2010 and based in Tbilisi, Georgia, will also debut in London on Monday. “My label has been established in other markets for a number of years now. This would suggest I’m old in the industry, but London has always been a hub for ‘young’ designers and creatives to showcase their talent, and honestly, I think this is what is driving me to show in the capital,” says Keburia. “It’s also an insecurity that I want to finally overcome. I am super anxious about the debut but already feel like London will truly understand the Keburia mindset.”
Jawara Alleyne, who has been showing off-schedule since graduating from Fashion East, is debuting on the official schedule on Saturday for the first time. “Showing on schedule felt like the natural next step because the brand has evolved, and I felt like it was the right moment to align,” says Alleyne. “In the past, my focus was on creating something uncompromisingly honest, and sometimes working within the system can blur those intentions. But after using the last few seasons to refine our vision, we’re ready to step forward.” Alleyne’s upcoming collection, titled ‘Construction’, explores the process of garment-making through deconstruction.
Aside from debuts, there are also a few returning designers: Dilara Findikoglu (who did not show season), Ashish (who last showed in London in September 2023) and Conner Ives (who only shows once a year).
“I miss doing shows,” says Ashish Gupta. “It can be financially quite challenging if you have a small business like I do, and it’s a positive thing how the industry has changed, and you aren’t expected to do a show every season. But it’s so great to be able to work with amazing creatives, models, hair and makeup teams to create this incredible magic that just lasts a few minutes, and then it’s gone forever, never to be repeated. And we move on to the next season.”
Ives says it feels good to be back in London. “It’s a testament to the network I have built up here, the support I have received. While not being British, London feels like home to me,” he says.
Ives’s show is taking place at the Beaufort Bar in The Savoy hotel, with which the designer is maintaining a partnership. The collection, ‘All That Jazz’, takes inspiration from the 1979 Bob Fosse musical about a director on the verge of a nervous breakdown who is attempting to put on a Broadway show. “[That’s] sometimes what this job can feel like, but it never stops me,” says Ives. “I think this show was about acknowledging those very human traits of being overwhelmed, in anguish, at your brink, but still making it all sparkle. It feels like there has been a collective anguish over the last few months that we have all felt. I wanted to offer some escape from that.”
BFC activations and sustainability criteria
As part of its city-wide celebration, the BFC is opening the LFW Shop from 22 to 24 February. The “shop” is an archive and discovery space curated by Ida Petersson, former Browns buying director and co-founder of brand strategy and creative agency Good Eggs, and Lewis Bloyce, creative consultant and former menswear buyer at Hypebeast. Presented by sponsor 1664 Blanc, the shop will feature some of LFW’s most iconic brands, from 16Arlington and Ahluwalia to Bianca Saunders and Saul Nash.
LFW’s other major sponsor, Inditex-owned fast fashion retailer Pull & Bear, has launched the Canvas for Creativity collaboration initiative, which will feature limited-edition capsule collections from “guest designers” Chet Lo and Johanna Parv, available for purchase exclusively at Selfridges and online at Pull & Bear.
In January, the BFC announced that it would introduce sustainability criteria for Newgen brands from January 2026 onwards, which are being piloted throughout this year. The criteria have been developed based on Copenhagen Fashion Week’s framework. Rush says she’s received encouraging feedback from designers and the wider industry so far. “Everyone understands how imperative it is to adapt to a future-proofing sustainable business model,” she says. “By working together with Copenhagen Fashion Week, we aim to set a new global standard for sustainable innovation in fashion and strengthen London’s position as a leader in this space.”
This article has been updated to reflect changes to the schedule (20/2/25).
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