Blowing in from New York, London picked up the baton for the next lap of the SS25 marathon.
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of London Fashion Week, the British Fashion Council reflected on four decades of fashion with an exhibition charting its evolution. Amid stalwarts like Burberry, a wealth of shuttered burgeoning brands – Christopher Kane, Meadham Kirchhoff and Sibling among them – highlight the treacherous knife-edge designers have to toe. Despite the growing pressure to make it as an independent designer in London right now, young talents are still persisting – swimming against the tide to survive.
With the schedule lighter, missing the presence of names like Molly Goddard and Dilara Findikoglu, there was still plenty of talent to celebrate: from Johanna Parv, Standing Ground and Karoline Vitto making their solo debuts, to Chopova Lowena presenting its eagerly anticipated sole show of the year. Elsewhere, a bevy of Black designers showed up and showed out across the weekend, bringing much-needed diversity to the schedule.
Read on to find out i-D’s highlights of LFW SS25.
1. Going Solo
After graduating from Fashion East last season, Johanna Parv and Standing Ground went solo for SS25. Fresh-faced and make-up-free – only wearing skincare by FaceGym – Johanna Parv’s cast featured real women you’d see riding their bikes around the city. A snapshot of a morning commute, they rushed about the show space, unzipping sleeves, taking off jackets and folding multi-use tote bags into backpacks. Elevating his elegant eveningwear, Irish designer’s Michael Stewart’s SS25 collection for Standing Ground reached new heights. Draped onto models like a second skin, his gowns – which bobble under the surface, thanks to clever beading placements – were also crafted from leather and velvet in sculptural silhouettes. The schedule also welcomed back Karoline Vitto, who returns to LFW after taking a break last season and absconding to Milan for SS24. Back on home turf, she expanded her size-inclusive offering – with her signature sculptural, adjustable metalwork appearing throughout.
2. A Big Season for Black Designers
Has there ever been a London Fashion Week so stacked with Black talent? Over the weekend, names including Feben, Ahluwalia and Yaku Stapleton showcased the breadth of their aesthetics and diversity of thought when it comes to channelling your heritage for inspiration. At Fashion East, newcomer Nuba – founded by design duo Cameron Williams and Jebi Labembika – travelled via London, Jamaica and Cameroon, settling on asymmetrical silk hooded tops and tunics, others were slashed open at the front revealing oiled midriffs as they caught a breeze. On Sunday night (September 15), Tolu Coker and Jawara Alleyne showed consecutively – black to black excellence. First up, transforming the NEWGEN space at 180 Studios into a retro living room – complete with family portraits, (projected) wallpaper print and cosy couches – Coker looked to the Sixties for her silhouettes, rendered in upcycled denim and leather. Joyous, jubilant and with Jourdan Dunn leading the charge for the en masse finale, we couldn’t help but dance to the live band as we swiftly exited. Rushing out of the rain and into the basement for the next show, Rihanna’s new favourite designer: Jawara Alleyne. Showing off-schedule, the designer honed his DIY, snipped and safety-pinned silhouettes – upcycling multicoloured offcuts and deftly draping and knotting them into sensual looks.
3. Unexpected Unions
Fashion has seen its fair share of strange collaborations over the years: Supreme x Singer, Nike x Ben & Jerry’s and Christian Cowan x Teletubbies. For budding brands, this monetary support can be the difference between a show and no show – we get it. At Chopova Lowena, design duo Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons teamed up with Hellmann’s. (Odd, sure – but they really love mayo). Putting the jar front and centre of its Sofia bag, a special pouch and vintage spoon attachment ensures you’ll never be without your favourite condiment. At Aaron Esh, a bursary courtesy of Jaguar luxxed-up his 00s rock collection. Slender tailoring – the designer doubled down on skinny jeans – was paired with elongated svelte scarves and ties trailing down to the ankle. But the partnership truly paid off with the collection’s eveningwear: liquid silk and sparkling velvet dresses that floated across the venue.
4. Family First
There was an unexpectedly wholesome energy to LFW this season, with various designers’ families appearing in the spotlight over the weekend. An emotional Nensi Dojaka embraced her father while taking her bow, while Tolu Coker’s mother joined her on the lap around the show space. For Skepta’s second MAINS collection, school was in session, transforming the space into a university where kids – his own plus grime’s finest – ran riot, almost dragging him along the runway as the show concluded. At Chet Lo, the entire collection was an homage to his mother, Mai-Wah Cheung. Charting her career journey from computer science to art, SS25 was the sleekest offering we’ve seen from him to date. Far from a banal 9-5 uniform, Lo’s spongy spikes appeared as sweater vests or spliced into wrap-around trousers. A story of resilience and transformation brought to life, the woman of the hour made her well-deserved lap of honour hand-in-hand with her son. Anybody have a tissue?
5. A Brand New Burberry
An easy elegance was on Daniel Lee’s mind at Burberry this season. Doing away with garish duck prints, the new collection prepared for the Great British summer – pairing glitzy cocktail dresses with oversized, faux feather-trimmed parkas for the inevitable deluge. Taking over the National Theatre, models moved between an installation courtesy of Young British Artist Gary Hume – Barry Keoghan, Kano and Normani were spotted through its various windows. Sensible and straightforward, the strict tailoring had a military edge, with pockets aplenty on boxy jackets and cargo trousers for your umbrella, laptop and packed lunch. Only one model dared to step out sans outerwear: Liu Wen, who appeared for the final lap in a shifting mass of gold paillettes. A sign that the sun will come out tomorrow? Lee remains an optimist whatever the weather.
Text: Dominic Cadogan
Photography: Darrel Hunter