Faux fur and metallic maxis: Topshop’s big comeback show was drenched in nostalgia

The Noughties cult fashion brand, Topshop, has marked its return to the high street with a public runway in London's Trafalgar Square.

Models Cara Delevingne, Adwoa Aboah and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan were among the famous faces who turned out to support the return of one of Britain’s best-known high street retailers: Topshop.

The fashion label closed in 2020, after its owner, Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group, collapsed and caused all of Topshop’s physical stores to shut down soon after.

Alva Claire, Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah

The brand then appeared on the online fashion website ASOS, but never relaunched its own standalone website – until now. After years of gaining traction purely through ASOS and online channels, Topshop has now fully revived its independent digital presence.

On August 15 2025, the brand relaunched its own website and has now celebrated its comeback with a public runway show in Trafalgar Square.

Standalone stores are returning to the high street, confirmed Michelle Wilson, Managing Director of Topshop and Topman, noting that a "semi-permanent" high street presence is planned for later this year, with permanent standalone stores scheduled for autumn.

The Trafalgar Square event, Topshop’s first runway show since 2018, was a public spectacle featuring some of the brand’s original muses – including Delevingne and Aboah – alongside a lively street-party atmosphere.

The show debuted the autumn/winter 2025 collection, available to buy immediately online in a “See Now, Buy Now” format.

The collection features long leather trench coats, metallic maxi dresses and A-line skater skirts and is, unexpectedly, drenched in nostalgia, evoking the brand’s heyday of Kate Moss, “indie sleaze” and the Jamie Skinny Jeans (which are also back and available to buy).

Under new ownership, ASOS retains a 25% stake, while Danish retail giant Bestseller (via its Heartland investment arm) now holds 75%. Topshop is positioning itself with elevated fashion credibility, improved quality and renewed cultural relevance, targeting shoppers aged 18 to 40.

Topshop has already begun reappearing in physical retail via wholesale channels, beginning with McElhinney’s department store in Ballybofey, County Donegal, where garments will go on sale from August 21.

Whether this revival marks a meaningful return or merely taps into nostalgia remains to be seen. Fashion experts say that real success will hinge on how Topshop resonates with socially conscious, digitally savvy millennials and Gen Z shoppers in a competitive and matured retail landscape.