London Fashion Week S/S26: A Round-Up Of New Voices, Heritage Houses, And Fresh Energy
London Fashion Week SS26 balanced culture and reinvention — with Burberry and Simone Rocha anchoring the schedule, while new-gen voices like Di Petsa, George Keburia, and Aaron Esh reaffirmed why London remains fashion month’s bravest stage
London Fashion Week has wrapped, leaving us with a lot to unpack. As the fashion’s calendar second stop, it is renowned for being the most daring and audacious— a platform where new-generation designers thrive alongside legacy brands such as Burberry.
With Laura Weir — former creative director of Selfridges — appointed as the new CEO of the British Fashion Council, there’s a fresh energy in the air. In just a few months, she has waived schedule fees, extended NewGen funding, and expanded the international guest programme — moves that led to an 18% rise in on-schedule shows. It’s proof that LFW continues to be the destination for revolution and rejuvenation.
Highlights
Simone Rocha drew inspiration from Maureen Freely’s 1992 essay My Dress Rehearsal: or How Mrs Clark Taught Me How to Sew. The result was a beautiful 52-look collection of silk organza, crinolines, and floral prints. Rocha described her vision as “disgruntled debutantes… a young woman forced to wear her mother’s clothes.”
H&M returned to the runway with a celebrity-studded show — Lila Moss, Amelia Gray, and Iris Law all walked, while singer Lola Young delivered a live performance.
Ebay, meanwhile, spotlighted circularity with its Endless Runway, curated by pre-loved style director Amy Bannerman. Archival looks from J.W. Anderson, Christopher Kane, Simone Rocha and more were showcased, with viewers able to shop the pieces in real time. Hosted by Chicken Shop Date’s Amelia Dimoldenberg, it proved sustainability can be as aspirational as luxury.
The week also celebrated milestones, with Serbian designer Roksanda Ilinčić and Erdem both marking 20 years. Erdem’s show explored an east-meets-west dialogue inspired by 19th-century French surrealist and medium Hélène Smith, accompanied by the release of a Rizzoli tome to mark the occasion.
Roksanda, meanwhile, looked to British sculptor Barbara Hepworth for inspiration, drawing a high-profile front row that included the iconic performance artist Marina Abramović.
The Next Generation
If London is about anything, it’s new voices. This season’s next-gen designers proved as exciting, boundary-pushing, and culturally rich as ever, with talent spanning from Greece, to Georgia, and beyond.
Di Petsa, the label by Greek designer Dimitra Petsa and famed for its celebrity-loved “wet look” dresses, stunned with a philosophical collection titled The Archaeology of Self.
George Keburia shifted the narrative from myth to a history-meets-digital mash-up, splicing Victorian heroines and military tropes with gaming-avatar silhouettes.
Patrick McDowell delivered one of the week’s most moving shows, dedicated to his late grandmother. Each seat bore a reprint of her passport, dated 10 June 1923. A Lancashire lass and laundry worker, mother of eight, she lived across ten decades — and McDowell honoured her legacy with his first off-the-peg ready-to-wear collection.
Breakout talent Aaron Esh staged his show in a Hackney warehouse, where the charged atmosphere echoed the energy of his designs. Lustrous satin Harrington jackets and double-faced suits spoke sharp craftsmanship, cut by the same Highbury tailor who once made his father’s wedding suit.
And for the grand finale, Burberry took over Kensington Gardens with a star-packed crowd — Elton John, the Gallagher brothers, and Alexa Chung among those in attendance. The collection channelled music and ’90s festival culture — think Kate Moss at Glastonbury — with parka coats paired with skinny scarves.
For anyone still knee-deep in boho-chic, it was a collection not to miss. After years of being adrift, this season finally felt like Burberry speaking in its true voice again — honouring its heritage while striking a chord with a new generation of audiences.
Once again, London Fashion Week proved why it holds a singular place in the fashion calendar. LFW is a laboratory — a stage where emerging voices test boundaries and heritage houses reinvent tradition. Once more, it’s in its stride.
Lead image courtesy of Instagram /@simonerocha_ @erdem @roksandailincic @patrick__mcdowell @georgekeburia @burberry