February 22, 2026 |
Chet Lo isn’t interested in being a lone wolf. The Asian-American designer, who has become a bit of a mainstay on the London Fashion Week calendar in recent years, decided that for his AW26 catwalk, he would make the focus his community. “I want people to feel like, damn, there’s a lot of Asian talent in London… London is such a creative city, but I feel like we could have an even stronger Asian community representation.” he says after the culmination of Night Market, a collection that was backdropped by a room made to look like the night markets in Hong Kong, with stalls from 10 Asian artists, designers and charities that guests could peruse before and after the show.
Rooted in a swaggering, street-inspired iteration of Lo’s classic spiky knitwear, the collection was inspired by a trip the designer took with his boyfriend, who had never been to Asia before. “I was able to experience the night markets through his eyes for the first time. And I found [that I] fell in love with the romance of it all again. I came back [thinking], I want to recreate that moment.” This came to life through direct references, such as wafer-thin parasols, a nod to Hong Kong’s rainy climate, but then also in the collection’s vibe. Skin-baring dresses and feathers which protruded from the tips of the spikes made the offering feel more sensual, whilst sharply tailored suiting, worn with no top underneath, turned up the heat a little higher. It was Lo doing what he does best – sexy attire for the cool kids – but in the context of him lifting up other Asian talent, it made everything that little bit sweeter.
Photography courtesy of Chet Lo.
