August 17, 2026 |
London Fashion Week is synonymous with a melting pot of cultural creativity, bringing together brands that push boundaries through innovative techniques, compelling storytelling and a distinct sense of individuality.
In recent years, we’ve seen a number of designers decamp to Paris for their shows, however SS27 marks a shift in this trend. This season, we’re celebrating the return of major names to the London bubble, alongside a new generation of designers making their official runway debuts as recipients of BFC NewGen, in partnership with Pull&Bear. Returning designers, such as Simone Rocha, Erdem, Di Petsa, Conner Ives and more, will also be peppering the runway with the seams and stitches of their signature craftsmanship.
To celebrate the sea of newness that will wash over the week, here we delve into the five new additions to look out for this London Fashion Week.
Mulberry by Christopher Kane
Mulberry is ending its six-year runway hiatus with creative director Christopher Kane’s debut ready-to-wear collection for the brand. Kane founded his eponymous label in 2006, shortly after graduating from Central Saint Martins. His designs were met with much acclaim, however despite its success shuttered under the pressure of the pandemic. It was announced he would take up the mantle at Mulberry in March 2026. His first collection for the heritage brand will land in shops, and online, in January 2027.
Following the closure of his namesake label, Kane returned to the fashion spotlight in 2024 through a collaboration with Self-Portrait as part of its new Residency Programme. For the project, the designer revisited and reinterpreted his SS07 Central Saint Martins graduate collection. His provocative approach to femininity often embraces themes of fetish and kink, while drawing inspiration from the otherworldly landscapes of outer space and the complexities of human anatomy.
Mulberry’s last spring/summer ready-to-wear collection was imagined by Johnny Coca for the 2020 season. The catwalk was a mirage of checks and plaid, with trench coats and biker jackets rendered in shades of red, white and blue, each punctuated by chunky metal chain belts. The signature leather Bayswater belted satchel was finished with polished hardware accents, while sequin-adorned dresses shimmered their way down the catwalk.
“It is an honour to join Mulberry, a brand with such a rich British heritage and a deep commitment to craft,” says Kane on the upcoming offering. “I look forward to working closely with Andrea [Baldo, CEO of Mulberry] and the team to create a new chapter of ready-to-wear that celebrates the spirit of Mulberry.”
Kane will present his Mulberry collection on September 20 at 3pm.
McQueen
McQueen has been absent from the LFW calendar since Sarah Burton’s SS23 show at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. After assuming the role of creative director in 2024, Seán McGirr is overseeing its return. The designer is saying “au revoir” to Paris in favour of returning to the brand’s British roots, with a show that promises to be one of the hottest tickets up for grabs.
“London has always been at the heart of McQueen; there’s a uniquely visceral energy to the city that runs throughout the house’s history and continues to inspire everything we do today,” McGirr says. “Returning to London Fashion Week allows us to deeply engage with that spirit and the creative community that defines both London and this house.”
Founded by Lee Alexander McQueen in 1993, London set the stage to some of the designer’s most renowned shows, including Highland Rape (AW95), The Birds (SS95) and Golden Shower (SS98). In 2001, following investment from the Gucci Group, McQueen moved its runway shows to Paris.
Since McGirr became the creative director, he has channelled the founders raw, searing approach to design. His SS26 collection, inspired by the 1973 folk horror movie The Wicker Man, hailed the return of the mid-1990s bumster. The divisive silhouette refers to low rise trousers that sit just below the hips to expose the upper part of the buttocks. Fresh from graduating Central Saint Martins, Alexander McQueen staged his AW93 collection, Taxi Driver, at London’s Ritz Hotel. Inspired by Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film of the same name, the collection introduced the silhouette. “I wanted to elongate the body, not just show the bum,” McQueen said of the look. Variations of the Bumster went on to feature in the designer’s subsequent SS94 Nihilism collection and his AW95 Highland Rape show. McGirr imagined the bumster in navy wool adorned with pleated bands or zippers that trailed from the backside to the ankles. The garments were paired with jackets distinguished by undone lapels and fringed epaulettes.
McQueen’s return to the Big Smoke is a major moment in the brand’s recent history, and it’s not to be missed. McGirr will present his collection on September 20 at 8pm.
Petra Fagerström
Swedish designer Petra Fagerström, who launched her eponymous label in 2025, one year after graduating from Central Saint Martins, is set to make her London Fashion Week debut as part of the latest BFC NewGen line-up. The brand is rooted in dressing for women while exploring identity through clothing. Her designs are grounded in presence, intelligence and agency, challenging traditional notions of femininity in favour of a more assured and contemporary expression of womanhood.
Fagerström’s distinctive lenticular pleating – a couture technique in which hundreds of individual pleats are meticulously hand-sewn into place before the fabric is set, creating a shifting, almost animated effect across the surface of the garment – evokes the fleeting and fragmented nature of memory. Her pieces juxtapose structured outerwear with eveningwear, creating silhouettes that feel controlled yet subtly twisted and undone. At the heart of the brand is a dialogue between the digital and the handmade, with the tension and interplay between the two serving as a defining element of her practice. Her AW26 collection, After Everything I Did for You, drew inspiration from the world of figure-skating prodigies. She is currently one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize 2026.
Her newest offering is set to build on these codes, establishing her direction as she enters a new era for her burgeoning brand. Fagerström will present her collection September 18 at 10am.
Francesca Lake
Jamaican designer Francesca Lake will debut her namesake label with a presentation this season, marking one of the new additions to the London Fashion Week schedule. Following her graduation from Central Saint Martins with a master’s degree in Fashion Design, Lake was awarded both a BFC Scholarship and the prestigious Honorary Daphne Guinness Scholarship.
Her multidisciplinary practice explores cultural narratives through garment construction, installation, ceramics, film and prose. At the heart of her work is an exploration of emotion and visceral experience, with the designer drawing on her roots to create pieces that amplify these narratives through stitch and craftsmanship.
Lake’s designs strike a balance between theatrical maximalism and everyday dressing, pairing voluminous bubble hems and ruched gowns with more utilitarian pieces such as bomber jackets and cargo trousers. The result is a dynamic aesthetic that blurs the boundaries between occasionwear and the everyday. For AW25, Lake reimagined the durag in iridescent iterations embellished with intricate detailing, styling them alongside denim and peplum silhouettes. Her distinctive tartan designs have also been worn by Rihanna in campaigns for Fenty and Puma.
Lake will present her collection on September 17 between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.
Gui Rosa
Portuguese designer Gui Rosa will also make their London Fashion Week debut via a presentation this season, adding another new name to the schedule. Following their graduation from Central Saint Martins, Rosa was personally selected by Alessandro Michele to participate in GucciFest, where they were tasked with creating a short film and a mini capsule collection – all within just two weeks.
Known for their distinctive crochet cocktail dresses, knitted cowboy boots and sheer embroidered skirts, Rosa takes a hands-on approach to design, crafting each textile entirely from scratch. The result is a highly considered practice that places textile innovation and meticulous craftsmanship at its core. This season, Rosa will bring these signatures to the London Fashion Week schedule, building on their playful approach to traditional menswear codes and eveningwear.
“I’m interested in ways in which I can dismantle and domesticized trademark menswear garments,” Rosa previously told 10 Magazine. “Taking the stitch out of the twee old lady realm whilst questioning the predictability of a taffeta when designing evening wear. It’s a fun duality to play.”
Rosa will present their collection from 12:30pm to 2:30pm on September 20.
Top image: photography by David Adams.
