LFW AW26: Highlights from Simone Rocha, Richard Quinn, Hector Maclean and more...

In our final London Fashion Week round-up of the season, TheIndustry.fashion team turns to the last run of shows from a jam-packed schedule. From Simone Rocha’s equestrian dreamscape and high-octane glamour of Richard Quinn, to Fashion Scout’s Ones to Watch platform spotlighting the next generation of global talent, the season closed on a dynamic note.

Simone Rocha’s equestrian dreamscape blurs past and present

For autumn/winter 2026, Simone Rocha explored Tír na nÓg - the Irish land of eternal youth. The show opened with a white pony transformed into a white embroidered lace dress, some lace recycled from past collections, carrying memory and history. Rose tapestries and tweed suggested the 1920s and 1940s, but garments appeared fragmented, like broken memories. Lingerie was exposed, bomber collars became simple neck gestures, and clothes seemed to slip from the body, as if dismounting.

The collection drew from Perry Ogden’s Pony Kids (1999), showing Dublin youth with horses - mixing old and new worlds. Their real, individual style inspired looks that shifted between menswear and womenswear, sportswear and formality. A collaboration with Adidas Originals reimagined classic sports pieces. Track tops and leotards sat beside tulle and lace, creating hybrid designs.

Bareback riding influenced the details: rips and tears became decoration, and rosettes were proudly shown.  Historical references were reworked through equestrian language - hardware, ribbons, bows. Evening gowns resembled oversized rosettes or wide crinolines that moved around the body, holding space and asserting femininity. The collection pushed ideas forward, then gently pulled them back, balancing strength and softness.

Hector Maclean’s AW26 collection rewrites family love story

Hector Maclean’s autumn/winter 2026 collection, ‘Escape’, featured an all-around fiesta of design motifs from military embellishments to swan fascinators. Just as we saw in the last collection, Maclean’s work puts women at its centre, conveying a mood of sombre strength. His woman this season, however, was his Polish grandmother who was displaced to Scotland during WW2. It was there in a refugee camp where she met Maclean’s grandfather,Donald, who would visit her daily to buy fruit from her stall. From this love story of loss, grit, and reconstruction, Maclean found his inspiration. War, he states, is part of his history - a part that continues to shape his design legacy.

The show took place in Heaven nightclub under the Waterloo Arches and was attended by celebrities such as Aweng Ade-Chuol, Bree Runway, and Isobel Richmond. The venue perfectly contained the brand’s growing following of devotees who have an eye for fashion and a party at the same time.

As a continuing legacy, the collection was eclectic, adopting a range of looks from military jackets to voluminous Westwood-esque gowns. Maclean’s choice of fabrics this season was particularly notable, as sustainability continues to be a guiding principle of the brand. Initially, we saw repurposed table clothes with their delicate doily lace still intact, traced into skimpy silhouettes. Another highlight of these looks was an Argyle knit dress (a nod to the brand’s Scottish roots), with thigh length fringe and matching boho wool opera gloves. The look felt cozy yet fresh and sexy. As the collection progressed, Maclean began to play with modern fabrics and military accents to give the collection more of a streetwear feel. Admittedly, as some acid green PVC sauntered past, it became somewhat difficult to see the homage to the designer’s granny as clearly as before.

In the closing looks, Maclean’s work under Vivienne Westwood was on full display in his voluminous gowns and delicate millinery collaboration. This partnership with milliner Leanne Cairns once again referenced the brand’s Scottish heritage. While the penultimate red-and-white bow motif resembled a pair of stag horns, the finale’s extended swan wing encircling the model’s eye left a strong impression. Speaking backstage, Maclean revealed that this, too, had personal significance: the swan headdress referenced the Polish Winged Hussars, who used feathered helmets to create a terrifying rattle as they strode into battle. The accompanying gowns offered a softer counterpoint to the severity of these headdresses, as Maclean chose more delicate and feminine fabrics. The closing look featured a sweet blue-and-white awning-stripe gown fashioned with a modern twist on a Victorian silhouette, heralding the beginning of spring. One imagines this closing look will be no stranger to award-season carpets in the coming weeks.

Richard Quinn embraces the hourglass silhouette in glamour-filled show

Richard Quinn staged a dramatic autumn/winter 2026 show at Sinfonia Smith Square during London Fashion Week, reaffirming his flair for high-glamour couture.Trained at Christian Dior and on Savile Row, Quinn presented sweeping gowns against a stark black-and-white runway that heightened the theatrical mood.

Corsetry and hourglass peplums defined the collection. Strapless bodices were tightly structured and accented with oversized crystal brooches, while sculptural overskirts added detachable drama. A standout ivory lace corset dress erupted into a tiered black tulle fishtail, balancing rigid structure with frothy volume.

Florals split into dark, winterised blooms and softer pastel embellishments, while feathers at cuffs and hems added movement without excess. Velvet gloves and bodices deepened the matte-black intensity, punctuated by flashes of pink, yellow and mint.

Since winning the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, Quinn has championed structured eveningwear. This season’s sculpted silhouettes and dramatic flares echoed Dior’s New Look - amplified with modern, high-impact precision.

Naomi Hart’s love letter to London style

Naomi Hart made the London girl her central character in her recent collection in Shoreditch. What was most clear in the show was that her looks - from distressed tailoring to wine-red cowhide waistcoats - exuded a certain London nonchalance that would look out of place anywhere but our capital.

This attitude was mirrored in the hairstyling of the show as well; models sported a messy, night-before-bedhead look tucked into their jackets. It is perhaps not a stretch to consider Hart’s collection within the continuing legacy of Charli XCX’s Brat. More accurately, though, it seems that both artists have drawn from the same well of inspiration in London.

The opening look - a white leather biker jacket over a matching long skirt, exposing the midriff with its low-slung fastening - set the tone of the show. Hart’s London is one in which you wanted to seem like you had to be there, rather than wanted to be… and, after all, you just had an all-white leather number gathering dust at home. On the other hand, the finale look had the same attention-grabbing quality in its bright red hue but was more intentionally formal and sexy. Yet no slip dress appeared here. Instead, Hart presented a hip, waist-bearing ensemble of men’s black-tie motifs in traffic light red. With its satin and wool construction, the look similarly demonstrated a tension between nonchalance and intention.

The small collection also packed a punch in terms of trends on show. In keeping with the low-key vibe, low-slung long skirts - often featuring a revealing central split - seemed to make a forecasting statement. Interestingly, Hart’s collection made one of the strongest cases for real fur in our wardrobes. Adopting perhaps the more palatable cow and sheep rather than a more exotic option, it might be said that this marks the beginnings of change. Fur in the show was used as a casual accessory over more structured tailoring, its raw edges giving a primitive feel to the overall look.

Fashion Scout X Ones to Watch showcases up-and-coming designers

At Protein Studios in Shoreditch, Fashion Scout once again collaborated with Ones to Watch to showcase the best of up-and-coming design talent from around the world. Thanks to the vast array of ideas, textures, and outfits on display, it would be hard to make a single conclusive judgment about what the season might look like.

Aleksa Vertige is another winner of Fashion Scout’s Armenia design competition, yet again demonstrating the strength of Yerevan’s design talent. Vertige chose to centre Japan and the seven codes of the Samurai for her debut collection. While these codes - Bushido, to those in the know - are worth a read, on the runway the collection was cohesive and articulate without being overwhelming, set to a Dune-esque soundtrack that matched the tone of the outfits on display.

Vertige used a muted colour palette of greys, navies, and trendy burgundy within layered diaphanous robes (often cinched and given shoulder pads) to present a fluid yet structured collection. Of particular interest was her use of string crochet over the robes, providing a lovely contrast to the baggy silhouettes - as if they had been caught in a net. Additionally, her accessories and eco-leather bags, which mimicked distressed leather, gave the outfits a realism that complemented her concepts.

Invisible Boundaries’ four designs were by no means easy to parse - abstract, formless geometrical sculptures from which the model seemed almost disconnected. Nevertheless, in talking with the designer herself, it became clear that far from meaningless abstraction, these designs have a deliberate and soft core. She explained that they are, indeed, wearable sculptures born of a kind of social anxiety we all feel: the urge to melt away and blend into one’s surroundings. No, really - she’s even repurposed her flat’s window trimmings to structure her garments.

The designer herself admits that these pieces are neither commercial nor particularly sit-downable. That said, her final look suggested a direction in which vision and pragmatism are united, window trimmings included.The sleeveless shift dress with an elegantly draped cowl neck was deliberate in both form and emotion. Overall, the small collection packed a mighty and conceptual punch, and it will be tremendously exciting to see what the Indian-born designer does next.

Khushi Kumar is a graduate of Manchester Fashion School, and her Indian heritage is an inseparable part of her design intentions. In blending these two elements into her work, she allows her customer “to wear a blazer at the office without sacrificing her heritage”. Her designs balanced this unity, showing modern silhouettes in luxurious red velvet, embellished with intricate traditional Indian embroidery in gold thread. The idea behind these vegetative motifs was inspired by the movement of her native temple jewellery and waist chains.

Her collection was evidently well thought out, even down to the smallest detail: her logo was chosen as a geometric pattern in traditional Banarasi silk that lines all her garments. The silhouettes also reflect meticulous attention, from an enlarged lapel exposing the model’s shoulder to a reimagined sari draped over trousers, which thoughtfully included a pocket.

Adolf Maldonado was almost singular in the output of his debut collection: outerwear. And really, if you’ve got a seriously attention-stealing coat of Mongolian goat, why would you bother with a shirt? While there were accompanying trousers in a pleated, baggy silhouette, Maldonado’s coats had top billing. His mother was a seamstress, and he put his inheritance to good use in some standout tailoring moments. There was a deceptively simple black coat with an admirably full skirt that would make Gaiman’s Lord of Dreams jealous. Maldonado further subverted strict tailoring in a blue slouchy dressing-gown coat that, owing to its considered proportions, gave the impression of casual cool rather than sloppy Oblomovism.

Our conversation with Maldonado focused largely on his choice of fabrics - strictly natural and never synthetic. To my surprise, even the pair of mock-croc brown dropped-waist shorts and teal overcoat, which we initially presumed to be plastic, were made of the finest quality Spanish leather and embossed by hand. These two pieces demonstrated the designer’s range beyond classic silhouettes, giving a very modern and wearable edge.

It is for stories like that of Mad Daisy’s designer, Dr. Margarita Fedoseev, that fashion remains such an inspiring industry. Transitioning from finance to fashion just ten years ago, the brand places its emphasis on sleek elegance without being prosaic or dull. This capsule collection, Lumiere, embraced the work of impressionist painter Guillaumin. This unity of art and fashion was, in her words, meant to “bring art to the streets”. While a noble enterprise, nobler still was the smart use of impressionist lines to create equally fluid silhouettes, such as a bomber jacket, jumpsuit, and feminine shirt dresses.

In addition, her use of traditional wool tailoring in an overcoat and relaxed suit made her concept feel more real and wearable. Chatting with her backstage, it seems the former art director with a doctorate in finance has achieved precisely this - marrying her love of fine art with a wearable, democratic sensibility.

Label Astha Garg, an Indian-born designer, focused her collection on the idea of lingering - the imprint left after something has departed. This concept embodies the designer’s DNA, taking ideas and slowly working them into the chosen fabric. Here, the sense of a worn-out fabric and its legacy still lingered in the modern silhouette presented.

The idea of lingering was best encapsulated in the traditional wood-carving art referenced throughout the collection. A standout look was a white, shearling-esque dress that at first appeared deceptively simple. As the model turned on the catwalk, however, it became clear that the dress was fastened with carved wooden bobbins, leaving both a shocking and pleasing impression. Naturally, the bobbins held an emotional connection for the designer, who chose to carve them so they would leave an imprint on the wearer’s skin after wear. This intimate design detail is certainly one of the most innovative ways any designer this week has left their mark on the industry!

Min-ji Kim’s debut concluded the show with zesty vigour, adopting a 1920s Wall Street attitude to channel her vision of absurdity, sensuality, and playful dressing. Her collection, entitled Call Me, indeed paid homage to Blondie in spirit - a manically stylish escape from the office. Kim oversized and overstated belts, buttons, and bows to absurd but pleasing effect. The outlook of the collection was typified in a red ensemble, complemented by circus-esque gloves, a printed bow, and a sheer skirt. The latter piece was created using the DeVore technique, applying heat to remove the velvet and thereby exposing a signature telephone motif. And let’s not get confused - the red used here truly was the colour of sex, undercutting the playful absurdity of the outfit’s upper half.

The collection’s accessories were no less intentional, giving us yet another glimpse of the brand’s punchy, fizzy spirit. We saw a range of accessories, from fake money (à la the Early Learning Centre) stuck to the bottoms of shoes, to Mondrian-esque, overstuffed, and distressed leather bags.