London Fashion Week: The best moments

Covid passes aside, London Fashion Week this season was reminiscent of the halcyon days of yore...

New designers and industry stalwarts alike dusted off the cobwebs and delivered memorable shows this season. From Ozwald Boateng’s electrifying return to the runway after 12 years to Steven Stokey Daley’s prescient exploration of gender and sexuality, here’s your breakdown of the best of London Fashion Week…

Preen

Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton paid tribute to London nightlife staple, Heaven, by hosting their first IRL show at the LGBTQ destination following a two-year absence from the catwalk. Inspired by Blitz kids and New Romantics, the highlights included lace as well as bold tartans, checks and stripes. To top it all off, Viviana Durante, the artistic director of the English National Ballet School, and her charges performed a routine wearing Preen’s new season creations during the lunchtime show. NH

Ozwald Boateng

After a 12-year hiatus, Boateng’s brand new collection took centre stage at the Savoy Theatre. The show, which did away with the traditional catwalk style, was a celebration of Black British culture through music, icons, fashion, community and more. The stage was made up of over 100 looks by the designer, and the invite list included the likes of Dave, Naomi Campbell, Stormzy, Steve McQueen, Anthony Joshua, Idris Elba… to name a few. RG

Steven Stokey Daley

This fashion week marked the Liverpool-born designer’s first foray into womenswear, and he also dipped his toes into a more “sexy” vibe. Daley, a semifinalist for the LVMH prize, was inspired by English public schools under a homosexual lens, and highlights included a four-poster bed, a chaise lounge and a picnic on stage. Members of the National Youth Theatre modelled velvet and tweed co-ords, with bare chests visible underneath, and super wide-legged trousers in delicate, Liberty-esque prints. NH

Nensi Dojaka 

Dojaka sent out her signature skimpy, tangled creations out onto the runway this season — but in a series of larger bodies too. Paloma Elsesser wore a near-perfect LBD and Schiaparelli muse, Maggie Maurer, turned up flaunting a baby bump in a sequin-embossed sheer beige dress. NH

Fashion East

Lulu Kennedy’s non-profit talent incubator has launched the careers of many industry staples. Now on the roster, Jawara Alleyne, Chet Lo and Maximilian, each proved themselves to be purveyors of cutting-edge cool.  Alleyne sent down models in his signature safety-pin ensembles, Lo channelled cybergoth in asymmetric lines, moon boots, and knee-highs, and finally Maximillian — championed by the likes of Rihanna and Kim Kardashian — explored fetishism, which he effortlessly contrasted with Catholic school girl garb. A true spectacle. NH

Writer
Nessa Humayun