London Fashion Week to champion royal favourites and British icons from McQueen to Mulberry and M&S
Kicking off on 17 September and running through to 21 September, London Fashion Week is doubling down on British labels, with icons including McQueen and Mulberry returning to the city, while high-street stalwart Marks & Spencer prepares for its Fashion Week show as it celebrates 100 years of fashion.
Alongside the runways, the British Fashion Council (BFC) is also launching ‘Fashion Britain’, a nationwide initiative designed to take British fashion beyond the capital for the first time, while sustainability requirements introduced earlier this year remain firmly in place.
So, from royal-approved designers to high-street heroes, here’s what to expect from London Fashion Week.
McQueen comes home
The biggest talking point this season is undoubtedly McQueen’s return to London for the first time in 25 years.
Although the house has become synonymous with Paris Fashion Week since moving its womenswear show there in 2001, Dublin-born Creative Director Seán McGirr will present his first London runway show since taking the helm in December 2023, bringing one of Britain’s most influential fashion houses back to the city where it was founded by Lee Alexander McQueen.
Kylie Jenner in custom McQueen at the Vanity Fair Oscar’s Party in March (Alamy/PA)
the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) at 5905 Wilshire Blvd on March 15, 2026 in Museum Row, Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency)
“London has always been at the heart of McQueen,” McGirr told the BFC.
“There’s a uniquely visceral energy to the city that runs throughout the house’s history and continues to inspire everything we do today.”
The return is one Laura Weir has been working towards since becoming chief executive of the BFC.
“One of my earliest ambitions as CEO of the British Fashion Council has been to see Alexander McQueen return home to London Fashion Week,” she said.
“Few have shaped the global fashion landscape with the same force, imagination and cultural impact […] McQueen’s return is a statement of confidence in British creativity at its most fearless and distinctive.”
McQueen will show at 20:00 on Sunday 20 September.
A new chapter for Mulberry
McQueen isn’t the only British favourite returning to the London schedule.
Heritage leather goods brand Mulberry will unveil its first collection under Christopher Kane after the Scottish designer was appointed Creative Director earlier this year.
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The appointment marked Kane’s return to fashion after his namesake label entered administration in 2023, making his London Fashion Week comeback one of the season’s most anticipated debuts.
“It is an honour to return to London Fashion Week with Mulberry,” Kane said.
“It’s an exciting time, and I look forward to sharing SS27 with everyone.”
The show, taking place on Sunday 20 September, also signals a renewed confidence for Mulberry as it continues its “Back to the Mulberry Spirit” strategy centred on British craftsmanship.
Marks & Spencer joins the runway
Perhaps the season’s biggest surprise comes from the British high street.
To celebrate 100 years of fashion, Marks & Spencer will stage a London Fashion Week show on Friday, 18 September.
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Rather than presenting a traditional catwalk collection, the retailer will adopt a “see now, buy now” format, meaning shoppers will be able to purchase pieces almost immediately after they appear on the runway.
For the BFC, it’s another sign that London Fashion Week is becoming increasingly consumer-facing.
Weir described the show as “a significant moment”, adding that it demonstrates “how heritage, innovation and accessibility can come together to connect exceptional British design with consumers in new and relevant ways.”
London stalwarts and royal favourites
Beyond the headline-making returns, many of London’s biggest names remain fixtures on the schedule.
Royal-approved Tolu Coker, Patrick McDowell, Emilia Wickstead, Richard Quinn and Edeline Lee – frequently worn by the Princess of Wales – will all show, continuing London’s tradition of mixing established designers with newer voices to shape the future of British fashion.
The Princess of Wales wearing Emilia Wickstead during the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final in July (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Burberry will once again close the week on Monday evening, while Erdem, Simone Rocha, Ahluwalia and Di Petsa all return with new collections.
Paul Costelloe, the longest-serving design house on the London Fashion Week schedule, will once again open proceedings, alongside Harris Reed, Ashish and H&M on Thursday evening.
Fashion beyond the capital
While London remains the focus, the BFC is looking further afield.
Launching alongside Fashion Week is ‘Fashion Britain’, an initiative designed to decentralise fashion in the UK and create opportunities for investment and cultural participation throughout the UK.
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The programme will bring together designers, retailers, cultural institutions and educators through events in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Edinburgh, with the aim of strengthening regional creative industries and opening up opportunities beyond the capital, occurring concurrently to Fashion Week.
“British fashion is one of our greatest cultural exports, yet for too long participation has been concentrated in too few places,” said Weir.
“Fashion Britain represents a fundamental shift in how we think about our role as the British Fashion Council.”
Sustainability remains a priority
Away from the front rows, sustainability continues to be a fundamental concern for London Fashion Week.
This will be the second September season to operate under the BFC’s Sustainability Requirements, developed in partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week.
King Charles III and Stella McCartney on the front row of sustainable luxury designer Tolu Coker’s AW26/7 London Fashion Week show in February (Richard Pohle/The Times/PA)
Initially introduced for the NEWGEN cohort, the framework requires participating designers to meet a series of minimum environmental and social standards
In order to remain on the official London Fashion Week schedule, applicants must provide responses to 18 minimum sustainability requirements, with designers required to demonstrate how they meet key environmental, social and governance considerations.
