For the last thirty-seven years, London Fashion Week has attracted industry icons from around the globe to witness the next generation of UK talent. The youngest of the four major fashion weeks, LFW has served as the launchpad for some of the biggest names in British and global fashion. It’s also been a pioneering site for avant-garde fashion, body positivity, and most recently, gender neutrality. Today, LFW continues to reinvent and reimagine what fashion week can be. Want to test your knowledge about the annual event? Read on to learn some surprising facts about LFW’s origin, history, and most famous faces.
Born In the 80s
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LFW was created in 1984 by the British Fashion Council as a way to increase recognition of the London fashion scene beyond UK fashion icons like Princess Diana. The trade show was also an opportunity for British designers to sell their collections to domestic and international buyers stopping in London between other fashion weeks. Above, Naomi Campbell walks for John Galliano Spring/Summer 1987 during LFW.
The ‘Performing Clothes’ Show
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At the very first LFW, the Institute of Contemporary Arts hosted a dancewear show. Called the ‘Performing Clothes’ show, a Face magazine article reporting on the event said some considered it a “big mistake,” while others saw it as innovative. Noted performance artist and fashion designer Leigh Bowery, pictured above, showed a collection titled “Mincing Queens.”
Enviable Designer Debuts
Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano were among the first designers to show at LFW in its inaugural year. Both earned high praise, with Westwood being deemed one of the best contemporary British designers. A recent graduate of Central Saint Martins, Galliano’s entire 1984 collection was bought by Joan Burstein of Browns, one of the first luxury boutiques in London. Above is a look from the collection, entitled “Les Incroyables.”
Major Model Moments
British Fashion Council
Several famed British supermodels debuted on the LFW runway. In 1986, a fifteen-year-old Naomi Campbell walked for Jasper Conran ahead of her trailblazingFrench Vogue cover. In 1989, a fifteen-year-old Kate Moss debuted at Galliano’s Spring/Summer 1990 show (pictured above.) Decades later, Moss and Campbell continue to reign as two of the most iconic supermodels ever to grace the runway.
Nourishing New Talent
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The 1990s saw LFW supporting new talent that would become industry heavyweights, from Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan to Phoebe Philo, Philip Treacy, and Stella McCartney. The brightest in British fashion often made their runway debuts and their first sales at LFW. Awards like the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN prize allow rising talent a means to fund and refine their work. Above, a catty look from Alexander McQueen’s Fall Winter 1997 LFW show, “It’s A Jungle Out There.”
Changing the Game
Like most of the fashion industry, LFW didn’t have a stellar track record of size inclusivity on the runway. Fortunately, the 90s brought a change. Author Roald Dahl’s granddaughter Sophie Dahl was one of the first plus-sized models to walk at LFW in 1997 for Irish knitwear designer Lainey Keogh. As a size 14 model rocking the runway during the Heroin Chic-era, Dahl started a conversation about increasing size diversity at all fashion week shows.
Setting the Stage(s)
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The original LFW was held in a car park—specifically, it was held in tents outside of the car park of the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington. Other venues throughout the years include Kensington Olympia, Somerset House, 180 The Strand, and SoHo’s Brewer Street Car Park. The pandemic introduced the virtual version of LFW, featuring live streams that were praised for increasing the accessibility of big-name shows.
A Retail Experience
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LFW retains its retail roots through London Fashion Week Festival. The event, formerly known as LFW Weekend, lasts for four days after the shows. Held at 180 The Strand, the Festival allows consumers the chance to shop the runway and get a closer look at the season’s designs. It’s a fitting continuation for LFW, which was oriented towards buyers in its earliest iteration.
Moving Forward
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In 2020, the British Fashion Council made the decision to combine LFW and LFW Men’s, making way for designers like Harris Reed to show innovative unisex and gender-neutral apparel as shown above. Fast forward to this year: LFW officially brands itself as a “digital, gender-neutral platform” showcasing menswear and womenswear through its online digital hub. The digital hub is another way consumers are allowed access once limited to industry insiders.
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