A round-up of this season's standout London Fashion Week shows
This London Fashion Week, TheIndustry.fashion's writers show hopped to get the scoop on the latest trends and must-see collections. Here, the team consolidates the best of the best runways of the AW24 season.
Photo Credit: Ben Broomfield
Paul Costelloe's Manhattan moment
Paul Costelloe took residence at Lindley Hall once again, this time for the "Once upon a Time" AW24 collection. However, for the first time in its history, the South East London architectural marvel was transformed into a scene that resembles New York City's Lower East Side.
Ensembles took the "Limerick meets Downtown New York" theme to the extreme. Silk shirts, two pieces and skin-tight trousers were adorned in a taxi-cab imbued print. These were mixed and matched with tartan prints and solid heavy woollen garments, fusing the location of inspiration and the brand's identity together in one cohesive aesthetic.
Harris Reed's shadow dance
Harris Reed delved into the world of Victoriana, having become intrigued by 19th Century shadow puppets, for his latest collection for London Fashion Week.
This season, trailblazing designer injected colour and print into his usually monochrome looks and a chance meeting with luxury wallcovering experts Fromental led to a sustainable solution, with Reed repurposing and piecing together Fromental’s archive silk wallpapers using them as fabrics.
Backstage with Bora Aksu
Art is intended to spark emotion and that’s exactly what Bora Aksu's AW24 collection did. The demi-couture range was a moving commentary on the waves of grief, told through vintage-feel laces and deconstructed layers inspired by sculptor Eva Hesse.
Aksu, whose mother recently passed away, drew inspiration from Eva Hesse's artworks, who told the story of her family's harrowing escape from Nazi Germany via sculptures. On the runway, fashion was transformed into a powerful medium for storytelling.
Patrick McDowell transformed discarded instruments into high fashion
Patrick McDowell dazzled the audience at his Autumn/Winter 2024 showcase. The collection, dubbed 'Orpheus' Ball', took inspiration from orchestral structures and reimagines them through a fashion lens.
In a pioneering collaboration with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the fashion show seamlessly merged fashion and music. The AW24 collection featured reimagined orchestral blazers and capes, each piece translating animated movements of musicians. Some silhouettes were literal translations of McDowell's inspiration, donned in printed scans of second-hand instruments.
Burberry's Daniel Lee played with the classics
Burberry closed out London Fashion Week in a huge marquee in London's Victoria Park emblazoned with the signature Burberry check design – in an emerald green, gold, white and brown colourway. Under this canopy creative director Daniel Lee presented a collection that played with the storied British house's signature design codes.
Fittingly for the season, which is always the strongest for a brand best known for its trench coat, it focused mainly on outerwear and other winter favourites.
Annie's Ibiza - 17th century, but make it dance floor ready
Somehow, Doble is able to effortlessly bring 17th-century techniques and vintage silhouettes into the 21st century. The overtly decedent demi-couture collection brought artistry front and centre - think lace, embroidery, beadwork and sequins. Each hand-crafted look echoed the spirit of Ibiza, where the designer draws inspiration.
David Koma’s exploration of light and movement
When it comes to London Fashion Week, star studded front rows are a given, but David Koma's AW24 debut took this to new heights. As celebs, influencers and the fashion elite clamoured into the University of Westminster's dimly lit hall, David Koma's models were dressed and ready backstage in feathers, pearls and neoprene galore.
David Koma delved into the world of dance, drawing inspiration from an imaginary exchange between the late German neo-expressionist dance pioneer Pina Bausch and contemporary Spanish artist Candela Capitan. Abstractions of the dancer's wardrobe unfolded, rejigging rehearsal uniforms into draped tops and ballet bustiers morphed into evening dresses.
Simone Rocha's playful glamour and animal toy accessories
Her signature style for bows and layers of tulle were present in the show, at the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great in London, but in a more understated fashion than we’re used to seeing.
Grey hair reigned supreme at JW Anderson
Grey hair took centre stage at JW Anderson’s latest London Fashion Week show. The Northern Irish designer sent models down the runway with super curly grey wigs, giving what some fashion fans on Instagram were calling 'granny chic'.
Knitwear was central to this collection, with skimpy matching sets giving a new take on the underwear-as-outerwear trend, juxtaposing with sculptural woollen two-pieces.
Richard Quinn paid homage to women of the Victorian era
The curved catwalk, that went around the vast and grade-listed 1901 Ballroom at Andaz London, was signposted by huge bouquets of pink and white roses and puddle-length floral-themed curtains. The London-based fashion and print designer incorporated vintage-inspired bridal wear that emphasised curves and accentuated long limbs – similar to high society elegance.
Read TheIndustry.fashion's feature '40 Years of LFW: The runway shows that cemented stardom' here.
