This season, London Fashion Week was about so much more than simply the clothes. From acting to spoken word and secret musical guests, the SS25 season’s roster was packed with performances that enticed and enthralled its audiences.
Across the weekend, attendees were eager to share their praise for S.S. Daley’s debut womenswear collection, Nensi Dojaka’s newly unveiled collaboration with Calvin Klein, and the luxurious elevation of Aaron Esh’s aesthetic, with many naming the latter as their “one to watch” of the season.
There were some triumphant debuts from the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN’s class of SS25 – including Karoline Vitto’s powerful plus-sized solo runway debut, HARRI’s larger-than-life debut womenswear collection, and newbie LUEDER’s alchemy-inspired, cool girl offering.
Energetic presentations were also on offer at the NEWGEN space, returning to its home at 180 The Strand, including YAKU and recent LVMH Pauline Dujancourt. Irish designer Sinead O’Dwyer – who stunned at Copenhagen Fashion Week with her diverse display for her Zalando Visionary award win – celebrated her SS25 collection in London in a show of sapphic lust and unity.
Elsewhere, London’s style stalwarts stuck to what they know best, further evolving their signature codes – including lashings of lace at Bora Aksu, thoughtful tailoring at Phoebe English, and dazzling craftsmanship at Mithridate, whose runway-come-presentation was glowing with a youthful spirit thanks to a helping hand from celebrity stylist Harry Lambert.
Below, BRICKS shares our favourite collections from London Fashion Week SS25.
CHET LO
Asian-American designer Chet Lo has frequently paid tribute to his heritage and identity throughout his designs. For SS25, the Asian-American designer chose to focus on an even more intimate inspiration, paying homage to his mother, Mai-Wah Cheung, and her remarkable career achievements. Having started out as one of the first women in Computer Sciences, a famously male-dominated industry, she went on to make significant advances in news broadcasting before dedicating herself to teaching and painting.
Lo’s SS25 collection is a celebration of Cheung’s legacy, showcasing strength and delicacy in equal measure. The structural silhouettes of office wardrobes were juxtaposed with fluid fabrications alongside Lo’s signature spikes and a new “glitch” texture and print, inspired by Cheung’s digital expertise. It was a stylistically strong showing from Lo, who has been developing his knitwear techniques into wearable collections since his 2020 graduate collection.
COMPLETEDWORKS
Often, presentations at London Fashion Week have to fight not to be overlooked in the packed four-day schedule, routinely slotted in during travel gaps to other runway shows, and are less likely to be seen splashed across the front pages of newspapers on the tube the next day. CompletedWorks has revolutionised the presentation format with its high-octane performances from A-list stars. Its AW24 offering featured Joanna Lumley and quickly became the viral moment of the season, so it was no surprise that its SS25 performance had packed benches of eager attendees.
In the centre of Gordon Square Park, a mirrored box reflected beautiful blue skies as actress Diana Agron delivered a sassy monologue written by Fatima Farheen Mirza. Agron performed alongside supermodel Lily Cole who starred as the piece’s protagonist, and Riz Ahmed as her editor, as well as violinist Vanessa Bedoret. Across earrings, necklaces, rings and hair adornments, the jewellery shined through, blending organic pearl formations with new grid-like motifs.
“I knew I wanted to expand on last season’s monologue and write a micro-play,” explained Mirza. “The play that has emerged is about an art historian and biographer named Aliza, working on a book about Camille Claudel. I was interested in exploring the challenges women – and in particular, female artists – face and the echoes of their stories across time, as well as the way they find freedom through mischief and play.”
CHOPOVA LOWENA
Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons may be the most beloved designers showcasing in London right now – throughout the busy first day, excited whispers shared rumours of what to expect from the brand’s SS25 collection. While we’ve come to enthusiastically expect endless iterations of carabiner skirts, the collection took on new influences from across the pond, including rodeo references in bloomer shorts, braided belts and studded denim.
The collection also infused aesthetics of Victorian Halloween traditions including fairies and witches, Olympic-inspired stretch sparkle separates, and a hilarious handbag collaboration with Hellmann’s – designed especially to carry a jar of the brand’s legendary mayonnaise, complete with a Victorian silver spoon and vintage-style bag charm – injecting the tongue-in-cheek attitude we know and love from this brand.
Another, slightly more sensible collaboration could also be seen on the runway, with ASICS crafting a special edition version of the GEL Quantum 360 VII covered in butterflies, rhinestones, flowers, and studs, as part of the sneaker brand’s Crafts for Minds program. The shoes, which launched on Tuesday 17th September exclusively with Dover Street Market, have already sold out in every size and style, keeping the brand’s loyal fans well-fed.
FEBEN
Entitled “Reign”, Feben’s SS25 collection referenced the dreary rain of this summer season. “Feben gave that negative one of her typical positive twists while she was shaping this collection: not raining, but reigning. That’s her celebratory philosophy on life, design and female powers of resilience: ‘Use your vulnerability to create strength’,” explained a press release written by Sarah Mower.
Feben’s inspiration this season came from La Singla – the passionately expressive Spanish queen of flamenco Antonia Singla who defied all the supposed limitations of her childhood deafness by stamping out rhythm with her feet. The collection sees the spirit of flamenco dance through dresses, flaring skirts, hand drawn renditions of polka dots, while playing alongside new, multiplying applications of her flattering Twist technique and structured tailoring.
PATRICK MCDOWELL
For SS25, sustainable designer Patrick McDowell was inspired by the Queer British artist, Glyn Philpot. Delving into the Tate archives to explore Glyn’s history through letters written to close family and friends, McDowell eventually met with Glyn’s living relatives to truly understand the iconic artist. “After discovering the two contrasting lives Glyn experienced, one of society and status and one of queer identity and true expression, it became clear that the collection should celebrate and fuse both,” they explain.
Taking place at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, McDowell’s SS25 show featured performances from the school’s emerging classical talents and provided the ideal backdrop for McDowell’s dramatic designs, paying homage to Glyn’s multi-disciplinary approach to his art. Philpot’s artworks were re-imagined into garments through painterly prints, transferred onto delicate and fully biodegradable TENCEL™ fibres, while floral motifs and ‘trompe l’oeil’ brush strokes added to the artistic aesthetic. McDowell’s sustainable approach to high fashion shines through this collection, utilising ethical dyeing and repurposing techniques wherever possible, including a Philpot family wedding gown, kindly donated by Glyn’s great-great-niece, Charlotte Doherty, which was reimagined for the closing look.
AHLUWALIA
For SS25, Ahluwalia presented her collection, ‘Home Sweet Home’, celebrating the soul of our most coveted spaces. Paying tribute to the profound ties that bind us to our roots, creative director Priya Ahluwalia listened to the stories of those who have traversed continents to explore the “emotional landscapes of migration, the lingering call of ancestral homes, and the delicate balance between past and present.” It’s a timely collection, given the UK-wide racist riots that has been witnessed and threatened in recent months.
Inspired by a recent trip to Jamaica, the collection was a powerful display that included references to her personal history, including prints recalled from images of her grandparent’s home. Warm tones evoke comforting feelings of nostalgia, while brighter hues of crimson and cobalt speak to the rich tapestry of heritage and identity represented throughout the collection. Ahluwalia referenced Peruvian artist and writer Jorge Eielson as another key influence, translating his signature pulling-technique into developing her garments.
Offcuts from Parisian house Chloe were transformed into strong tailoring, furthering the brand’s sustainable approach, while a particular focus on craftsmanship could be seen throughout, from binding pleats of satin mini-dresses and dinner shirts and intricately beaded knitwear and head adornments.
MASHA POPOVA
Masha Popova’s SS25 Impulse was all about revelling in spontaneity and the unplanned. The Central Saint Martins graduate celebrated the carefree aesthetic of the girl on-the-go, featuring asymmetric ruching and fibrous textures, alongside her signature tie-dye and manipulated denim looks in playful colour variations.
Inspired by Patrick Magaud’s photography book Exhibition In Paris, showcasing women in various states of undress, the styling was undoubtedly the highlight of Popova’s collection. Glances of underwear caught into carelessly thrown-on dresses, uneven stockings, undone buttons, and calculatedly slovenly hair all told a story of a girl rushing out the house, spontaneously creating sexy and unhurried misensembles of fleeting fashion moments.
Perfectly opposing that raw and rebellious spirit, references to the 1970s matured the look of the collection, with statement gold accessories, large frame sunglasses and deep plunge necklines, signalling growth and evolution in Popova’s vision.
It wouldn’t be a Masha Popova show without a throwback reference, materialised this season by reworked Superstar 82 trainers, which the designer personally hand-painted and customised with antique brass studs and shimmering paint strokes.
KNWLS
For the KNWLS team this season, craftsmanship took precedent. Held in the old CSM university campus in Holborn, the SS25 collection was inspired by the school’s infamous alumni, including John Galliano, along with industry icons like Madame Grès and Azzedine Alaïa. The brand’s designers Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault masterfully adopted couture techniques and translated them into enviable ready-to-wear, including leather corsets and high-octane dresses.
Entitled ‘HAZE’, the collection was the duo’s largest showing to date, elevating its sultry aesthetic with a special collaboration with TENCEL™ fibres.
LABRUM
Opening with a spoken word performance by London grime artist Ghetts, Labrum presented his SS25 collection, Designed by an Immigrant: Journey of Triumphs, two days later than initially anticipated on the official schedule. Despite a timing clash with Burberry, the date change was for good reason – Labrum secured the iconic Emirates Stadium to showcase its designs inspired by artistic elements, textiles, and colours of diverse immigrant cultures. Creative director Foday Dumbuya expressed that, “By showcasing the struggles and triumphs of immigrant artists, we celebrate their contributions to the arts and fashion world.”
The energy in the stadium was palpable as many famous faces took to the pitch, including Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, radio DJ and presenter Clara Aamfo, actor Mawaan Rizwan, singer Amanda Reifer, and actor and producer Michael Dapaah. The collection featured playful wraps and drapes inspired by West African and Indian traditional dress, while a show-stopping finale ensemble, the ‘Wrappa’, honoured the women – past, present, and future – who have worn wrappas, reimagining this history by incorporating fabric offcuts from the collection, embellished with cowrie shells, raffia trim, and the Nomoli.
CHARLIE CONSTANTINOU
For its 4th season, Charlie Constantinou continued to explore how extreme climates shape culture and style. For SS25, the CSM alum’s focus shifted to the desert, taking inspiration from the harsh conditions of scorching days and freezing nights. Drawing from the adaptive techniques of the Bedouin desert tribes, Constantinou has crafted a collection built for the unpredictable. Expect versatile pieces that use fabric innovation to handle these extremes – airy bouclé for the heat, sturdy drills and insulated quilts for when the temperature drops.
MOWALOLA
The final day of London Fashion Week ended with a bang, as Mowalola brought her explosive ‘Dirty Pop’ performance to North Greenwich. The runway began with an army of Mowalola doppelgangers stomping around the super-sized showspace, before models appeared in ultra-mini skirts, XXL handbags and strappy thigh-high boots.
Designer Mowalola Ogunlesi also unveiled new music, performing nine new tracks including features with rapper Brennan Jones, Deto Black and Chi. The high-octane evening was completed with an appearance from supermodel Irina Shayk as Mowalola’s troop of models returned for the finale spectactle. Despite its late running, the venue was filled with excitable guests for hours afterwards as they sipped on cocktails and
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