LFW SS26 Highlights: AKOK, Susan Fang, Ksenia Schnaider and more...

And just like that, London Fashion Week draws to a close after a final, action-packed day brimming with catwalks, presentations, and unforgettable moments.

With Burberry closing London Fashion Week this evening, we take a moment to reflect on more of the standout highlights from the past few days, as TheIndustry.fashion team raced across the city to capture the excitement.

Anamika Khanna presents a classic twist on her traditional nostalgia

"Hi, I’m here for the Anamika Khanna show?" "Arr, that be on the fourth floor, matey," replied the pirate I had asked for directions. There were incongruent scenes at the AKOK show today, which took place at Hamleys Toy Shop. It was an obvious nod to nostalgia and slipping into a past filled with joy. Similarly, Khanna’s collection focused on retrospection - traditional Indian garments were revisited by the designer with a modern twist.

On Hamleys’ top floor, opposite some Lego kits, we witnessed the designer’s reinvention of several Indian garments through a sleek, modern lens. The Angarkha, a traditional robe, was reconstructed and combined with what resembled a classic Oxford shirt. Slouchy trousers competed with sari-esque skirts in matching silk, all while being paired with minuscule bralettes.

The silver thread embellishments were also a highlight of the show, adorning blazers, corset belts, and saris alike. For Anamika, this use of silver was a radical stripping back, paired with boots, skirts, and denim. The effect of this hand embroidery technique, Chikankari, simultaneously lent an armour-like quality to the stronger silhouettes and a more feminine touch to the sheer garments. In the final looks of the show, we saw this technique applied in thread over sheer white garments for an ethereal climax. These looks were paired with a matching lace boxing boot, which felt like one of the most commercial aspects of the show.

The collection as a whole felt entirely wearable, leaning into a somewhat slouchy, off-duty look with silks and slippers rather than formal attire.

Fringe and volume - the standout trends of Edeline Lee

Fringe and volume took centre stage at Edeline Lee’s spring/summer 2026 show at London Fashion Week, where bold silhouettes met wearable structure. Lee’s approach framed the body with intention, using sculptural construction to give space without overwhelming the wearer, signaling a shift from dramatic experimentation to precise design.

Throughout the collection, there was a striking balance between expansion and restraint. Skirts in lilac and white were adorned with long fringe that animated movement, while a mint green skirt gathered to swell yet resolved in clean panels that kept the silhouette composed. Sequins appeared sparingly, often integrated into fringe at the hems, and were offset by simple, unembellished bodices. Ornamentation stayed below the waist, while the upper garments remained high-necked and sleeveless or featured subtle ruffling, creating a sense of calm above the play below.

The palette began with classic spring pastels - lilac, mint, and sky blue - before evolving into deeper cobalt, crisp white, and flashes of silver used strategically for impact. Fabrics appeared sturdy and thoughtfully engineered: voluminous pieces retained their shape, hems were generous but practical, and movement was embraced through design rather than excess. The collection celebrated volume not as a spectacle, but as a deliberate method of framing the body and allowing the clothes to breathe with the wearer.

Compared to previous seasons, Lee’s spring/summer 2026 collection was both more playful and more refined. The show was a study in how shape and proportion can offer presence, not just drama. Fringe, volume, and shine were not just trends here - they were tools used with discipline and intent. Lee’s designs became statements on power, space, and elegance, proving that boldness can be achieved through structure as much as through scale.

Susan Fang’s collection drifts off into fantasy, taking us along for the ride

The Susan Fang show was perhaps the most thoughtfully located of the entire London Fashion Week. On the Barbican Conservatory terrace, Fang presented Air-evolution—a show meant to visualise the parallel utopia of 5202 (2025 backwards!). Through the show, Fang rejected the pessimism that many designers during the week so readily embraced, instead imagining a future where AI has achieved symbiosis with nature. No, really - she had written an entire story about it. And while the narrative might seem airy, Fang succeeded in making this fantasy a concrete vision through her fashion. Her use of technology allowed this vision to come to life.

At first glance, we saw 19th-century-esque floral motifs printed onto lightweight canvas and sheer skirts layered over stark black pants. On closer inspection, however, these details were actually a laser-produced combination of numbers, symbols, and Chinese characters. It demonstrated the reality of Fang’s fantasy - where human artifice has managed to harmoniously create nature itself. Fantastical indeed, though credit must be given to the radically optimistic vision of humanity’s future that Fang holds.

From a technical standpoint, Fang created a tension between permanence and ethereality. She made her own innovations to bring this vision to life—most notably her ‘air puzzle’ technique, where circular, coral-shaped pieces are puzzled together to create 3D patchworks that flow around the body like petals reflecting on water. These forms both exposed and surrounded the body. Naturally, there was a fictional reference in Fang’s imagination for this: the exposure of the models was not for us to look in, but rather for the wearer to look out—to communicate with her natural surroundings. In another look, Fang reimagined a classic rugby shirt, overlayed with a symbiotic sheer veil in matching colours - exposed and surrounded the body. These forms both exposed and surrounded the body. Naturally, there was a fictional reference in Fang’s imagination for this: the exposure of the models was not for us to look in, but rather for the wearer to look out - to communicate with her natural surroundings. In another look, Fang reimagined a classic rugby shirt, overlayed with a symbiotic sheer veil in matching colours.

Fang’s ‘brides’ were also designed with clear intention in line with her vision. A simple bodice descended into a boyish waistline of layered floral taffeta. The bride’s veil was constructed from glass beads that mimicked rain. Just as Fang had decorated her show with massive floating balloons - her imagined osmotic housing where humanity floats above nature rather than in or on it - this bride existed within her own porous bubble. She remained beautifully cocooned in Fang’s fictional dream-state.

Burberry brings British nostalgia with tea-time tartan and trench coats

Hidden within the manicured lawns of Kensington Gardens in London’s Hyde Park is Perks Field, a private green space originally planned in the 17th century by George London and Henry Wise. But for London Fashion Week it became Daniel Lee’s stage. The creative director transformed it into a country dreamscape for Burberry’s spring/summer 2026 show.

Under a printed blue-grey sky and walking across a floor the colour of damp soil, Lee sent out a collection that took the brand’s heritage pieces – the trench, the check, the structured suits – and made them feel like rave outfits for a festival in the Cotswolds.

The collection was a remix of familiar codes into something more tactile, eccentric and festival-ready: a revival of old British countryside dressing for a new audience.

Since taking over at Burberry in 2022, Lee has made no secret of wanting to restore a distinctly British spirit to the house, reviving archival logos, emphasising traditional fabrics and silhouettes and foregrounding the trench and tartan as pillars of its identity. This was certainly apparent for his latest collection. The mood was set from the opening look: a double-breasted tartan trench in deep mustard leather worn with chunky biker boots, at once aristocratic and rugged.

Colours were deliberately dusty or offbeat, as a palette of khaki, mustard, chocolate and washed denim spilt out onto the runway, punctuated by jolts of lime, turquoise and tomato red – bright hues that have been trending on runways all week.

Staged beneath an artificial English sky in a garden once designed for royalty, the spring/summer 2026 collection felt like the clearest statement yet of Lee’s vision. It didn’t simply revisit the past but treated it as a living archive to be worn, mixed and dirtied.

Erdem channels Hélène Smith’s mystical visions in a dreamlike fusion of history, romance and the otherworldly

For spring/summer 2026, Erdem looked to the multifaceted figure of Hélène Smith - the late 19th-century Swiss medium whose trances carried her across centuries, continents, and even planets. Smith, whose visions were both fantastical and controversial, believed she had lived multiple past lives: as a member of the French court, an Indian princess, and a traveller on Mars. These so-called "Romantic Cycles", as named by psychologist Théodore Flournoy, formed the mythos that both defined and destabilised her.

The show opened with an hourglass mini dress crafted from collaged antique lace remnants, embroidered with jet crystal symbols. This was followed by a reversible trench coat in ivory metallised cotton, featuring a floral embroidered lining and lace-collaged detailing.

Florals emerged as a consistent motif throughout the collection, appearing in embroidery, prints, and appliqué - a testament to the designer’s signature detailing and innovative use of botanical themes. Meanwhile, metallised materials added a futuristic gleam throughout, nodding to Smith’s imagined life on Mars.

The colour palette ranged from whites, greys, browns, and black, with colour delicately introduced through floral embellishments. This was interspersed with vibrant shades of green and pink - adding a sense of vitality and contrast to the collection.

Erdem embraced the poetic dissonance of Hélène Smith’s inner worlds - merging myth, memory, and imagination into a concept that was as intriguing as it is beautiful.

Ksenia Schnaider presents denim for the 'modern human'

The collection rethinks form, function, and fashion stereotypes, engaging deeply with the concept of the garment itself. A rich mix of inspirations unfolded through upcycled pieces, distorted denim, deconstructed tailoring, and fluid silhouettes. Key materials included sheer organza and certified organic textiles provided by Indigo Textile - specialists in sustainable fabrics made from hemp, recycled yarns, and organic cotton. These elements came together across reimagined bombers, trench coats, bodysuits, dresses, embroidered shirts, and other denim-forward designs.

Ksenia Schnaider also unveiled a limited-edition capsule in collaboration with British heritage denim label Lee Cooper. This partnership fuses Lee Cooper’s classic British denim roots with Schnaider’s avant-garde, upcycled design ethos, presenting four womenswear and six menswear looks - the latter marking the brand’s menswear return to London Fashion Week.

The show also marked the continuation of Ksenia Schnaider’s viral Cubic Denim line, first introduced at Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv. This concept-driven collection stands as a "radically un-radica" protest against the pressures of constant innovation and reinvention.

Simone Rocha and Crocs debut ballerina platform in romantic floral showcase

Simone Rocha and Crocs returned with the highly anticipated fourth instalment of their ongoing partnership, debuting the all-new Ballerina Platform at Rocha’s spring/summer 2026 show at London Fashion Week.

It marks a bold evolution in their collaborative design journey, introducing a completely new Crocs mold that merges the brand’s comfort-driven ethos with Rocha’s signature romantic aesthetic.

Meanwhile, the clothing collection offered a romantic exploration of florals, characterised by delicate prints, intricate embroidery, oversized rosette accents, and large, long-stemmed lilies incorporated into various garments.

The collection reflected Rocha’s ongoing exploration of femininity, craftsmanship, and narrative through fashion. Key elements included bralette-inspired tops crafted in sequins and lace across a range of colourways, vinyl pieces adorned with diamanté embellishments, flowing silk, shoelaces as bows, and lace pillowcase-style bags.