London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2025 kicks off on Thursday, 20 February, with designer Harris Reed setting the stage with his signature theatrical creations, marking the start of four days of shows in the British capital. This edition, however, will be shorter than usual, with several notable absences.
London Fashion Week 2025 runs from Thursday, 20 to Monday, 24 February – Photo credit: londonfashionweek.co.uk
The Anglo-American designer, who also serves as artistic director of Nina Ricci, will present his eponymous label at Tate Britain. The label is known for its dramatic silhouettes, often topped with oversized halos crafted from recycled wallpaper and interior fabrics.
The 28-year-old designer, instantly recognisable for his long red hair, gained global attention in 2020 when he designed the crinoline skirt worn by Harry Styles on the cover of Vogue. Styles made history as the first-ever solo male cover star of US Vogue in its December 2020 issue. His work embodies “non-binary romanticism”, a style that has captivated celebrities such as Lil Nas X, Adele, and Beyoncé.
Currently facing challenges, the heritage brand is the subject of speculation regarding the departure of its creative director, Daniel Lee. Having joined just over two years ago, Lee has made efforts to modernise the brand, though with mixed results.
Multiple reports suggest he could be replaced by British designer Kim Jones, who left his role at Dior Homme in late January after seven years.
Absent from the schedule: JW Anderson
One of the most talked-about absences this season is JW Anderson, the label of Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson. Anderson also serves as creative director at Loewe and has been mentioned as a potential candidate for Dior.
For the first time, young designers selected for the British Fashion Council‘s (BFC) NewGen programme are required to meet sustainability criteria when producing their collections.
The initiative aligns with Copenhagen Fashion Week’s eco-conscious approach, which introduced similar measures in 2023.
The goal is to gradually extend sustainability requirements to all brands showcasing in London.
In November, the BFC also announced a ban on exotic animal skins—such as crocodiles and snakes—starting with this Autumn/Winter 2025 edition. However, the move is largely symbolic, as no brands on the London Fashion Week schedule currently use these materials.
“A challenging period”
This edition of London Fashion Week is nearly a day shorter than last year’s Autumn/Winter 2024 event, with designers such as Molly Goddard and Sinéad O’Dwyer absent from the schedule.
Others, including Dilara Findikoglu and Conner Ives, have reduced their show frequency to once a year, while some have scaled back to presentations or intimate gatherings instead of full runway shows.
Caroline Rush, chief executive of the BFC, acknowledged that British brands are navigating a particularly challenging period, impacted by the pandemic, Brexit, and the 2024 closure of Matchesfashion, the luxury e-commerce platform.
“We are working closely with these businesses to support them through this period,” Caroline Rush told AFP, emphasising the importance of London Fashion Week as a platform that attracts influencers, journalists, and buyers from around the world.
“When I started 16 years ago, the first question I was asked was, ‘Are Fashion Weeks still relevant?'” recalled Rush, who will step down from her role in the coming months.
“I believe they are highly relevant. In London especially, we have so many small independent businesses that need a platform to reach a global audience,” she added.
Rush will be succeeded by Laura Weir, creative director at Selfridges and a former British Vogue journalist.
According to the British Fashion Council, the UK fashion industry employs 800,000 people and contributes nearly £30 billion ($38 billion) to the economy.
On Friday, guests at a millinery in central London tried on hats of various shapes and sizes. Some leant in to smell a chocolate design, while others admired one infused with the scent of autumn.
A tempered chocolate hat on display as milliner Stephen Jones showcases his Autumn/Winter 2025-2026 collection at his Covent Garden shop during London Fashion Week, 21 February 2025. – Photo credit: AFP
Legendary British milliner Stephen Jones brought sensory experiences to his Autumn/Winter 2025 presentation at London Fashion Week, showcasing hats crafted from satin, tartan, crêpe, and even glass. “I was thinking about how people connected through hats, and so it’s about sight, and taste, and touch,” Jones, who also designs hats for Dior, told AFP at his studio in Covent Garden.
Feathers floated atop a delicate fascinator, icy beads dangled down from another headband, and Jones described a black satin flat cap with white piping as “assured” and “fun.”
“What is fashion about? Is fashion a uniform? Is fashion self-expression? Can fashion be fun? So that’s why this collection came about,” Jones said.
In the background, one guest tried on a hat with gauzy petals piled high, exclaiming, “It’s so strange; when I take the hat off, I feel naked.” The centre of attraction was a Willy Wonka-esque top hat made of chocolate with a bite-size hole in its crown, which Jones crafted in collaboration with Paris-based pâtisserie Jana Lai.
Jones has already received an order for the hat from a “lady who wants to wear it for her birthday party” and said the confectionary head covering can be worn by “anyone.”
“Not somewhere too hot, though”, he mused.
Celebrating life
From plush berets for Princess Diana to towering headdresses strutted down Dior runways, Jones’s hats have served as the crowning glory of celebrities and designers for over four decades.
His work is currently on display in a retrospective at Paris’s Palais Galliera called “Stephen Jones, Chapeaux d’Artiste”, which brings together some 170 hats spanning his career.
Jones, 67, was born “near Liverpool, in the middle of nowhere”.
“So, for me, Paris was always such an exciting place,” said Jones, who divides his time between London and Paris.
“Paris has always influenced my work,” he added, a customary brown beret balancing on his head.
Jones crafted his first hat when he was a student at London’s Central Saint Martins out of a cereal box and scraps from his sister’s blouse. That sense of whimsy and innovation never really went away.
“Everything else can be super serious, but fashion and hats need to be about celebrating life,” he said. “Especially at the moment.” For the millinery guru, participating in fashion week during a time of global political uncertainty was “strange.” “But that’s what fashion does. At least you can control how you get dressed in the morning.”
“Hats are so popular because they’re like a talisman of something. It’s a talisman of hope,” said Jones. “People wear jackets and tailoring and shoes… But to show your individuality, maybe a hat is a very good way of doing that.”
Despite dressing a roster of fashion royalty, Jones said he still has not made a hat for Britain’s Queen Camilla. “The Queen hasn’t worn my hats yet. Maybe one day I’ll make a hat (for her),” said Jones.
After 45 years of presenting collections, how does he keep pulling ideas out of his hat?
“I guess that’s my character. I live my life and put it into a hat.”
There’s no such thing as consistency when it comes to consumer confidence, at the moment at least, as trying to read consumer emotions in February is a little tough.
Photo: Pexels
GfK has its long-running Consumer Confidence Index increasing two points to -20 this month and its other measures to gauge sentiment were also all up on January.
This is in stark contrast to yesterday’s (20 February) data from the British Retail Consortium which showed confidence down three points February from January, the fifth consecutive month in which expectations have worsened.
The GfK index measuring changes in personal finances during the last year is up three points at -7; seven points better than February 2024 and the forecast for personal finances over the next 12 months is up four points at +2, which is two points better than this time last year. But according to the BRC it had its consumer personal financial situation falling 7 points from January.
GfK’s measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months is also up two points to -44, one point lower than in February 2024 and expectations for the general economic situation over the next 12 months have improved three points to -31, still seven points worse than February 2024.
The Major Purchase Index is also up three points to -17, eight points better than this month last year, while The Savings Index stayed at +30 in February, one point higher than this time last year.
Neil Bellamy, Consumer Insights Director, NIQ GfK, said it its reading: “The biggest improvement is in how consumers see their personal finances for the coming year with an increase of four points that takes this measure out of negative territory to +2.
“The Bank of England interest rate cut on 6 February will have brightened the mood for some people, but the majority are still struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that is far from over. Prices are still rising above the Bank of England’s target; gas and electricity bills remain a challenge for many households. So it’s no surprise that consumer views on the general economic situation are still lower than 12 months ago, suggesting that people don’t expect the economy to show any dramatic signs of improvement soon. Politicians looking for bright spots on the horizon will be disappointed.”
Interestingly, with the survey coming on the day that the UK’s statistics body said January retail sales volumes rose, home delivery expert Parcelhero said that “shoppers may say they are worried about the state of the economy, but that didn’t stop them splashing out at the supermarket”.
Its head of Consumer Research, David Jinks, said consumers might not actually be feeling as bad as they think they are.
“When it came to actually spending money, it seems that they actually splashed the cash more in January than at any time in the last few months,” he said.
It will be interesting to see how both the retail sales picture and the consumer confidence picture develop in the months ahead.
The Perfume Shop and Deliveroo are extending their retail partnership to cover further UK locations, following a successful launch period last year.
The widening of its association, launched last year as Eau De-Liveroo x The Perfume Shop, comes as research reveals 47% of Britons have forgotten to wear or pack their favourite perfume when heading out, “leaving them feeling annoyed (24%), or unprepared (18%)”.
During peak periods, the retailer said the partnership managed to directly generate in-store sales in 21 locations covering London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh. “With over 1,000 perfumes available for quick delivery, the partnership has proven particularly popular during key shopping seasons over Black Friday and throughout December”, it added.
Milton Keynes was the most recent to introduce the Deliveroo app service, and there are plans to continue rolling out additional locations over 2025.
Gill Smith, managing director at The Perfume Shop said: “The success of our partnership… is a testament to the growing demand for seamless, on-demand shopping experiences”
Suzy McClintock, VP for New Verticals at Deliveroo added: “This successful partnership has not only driven sales but is also helping reshape the way customers shop by offering fast, on-demand delivery of over 1,000 fragrances across the UK.
Deliveroo is also continuing to expand its partnership to other retailers including Hurr, Accessorize, Hemp and Boots.
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