AW24 Recap: All The London Fashion Week Highlights You Missed

While the city is known for its stylish crowds, the city has been looking more fashionable than usual recently. It can only mean one thing: LFW is back for another season. If you’re wondering what you might have missed so far, don’t fret. We’ve rounded up some our favourite shows and moments from London Fashion Week AW24 below.

A Guide To London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week AW24 Highlights

Monday 19 February 2024

FROLOV AW24

FROLOV

For his sophomore solo LFW show, designer Ivan Frolov created a collection that acted as an ode to his childhood in the Crimea (having spent every summer there until it was annexed in 2014). Now unable to visit, Frolov drew on his sensorial memory to recreate his experience and shape his view of femininity, sexuality and freedom of expression throughout the 90s and 00s. While some elements of the collection drew on the designer’s sensory memory – burgundy leathers reminiscent of the Kyiv-Sevastopol train seats, gradients inspired by Crimean sunsets and green corduroy imitating pine needles flushed bright by the morning sun – others draw directly from people and scenes the designer interacted with – leather and sheer-clad women he met at Crimean discotheques, as well as leopard print-covered ice cream sellers on the beach. Running between several looks was also a nod to the Ukrainian TV series Roksolana, which tells the story of a Ukrainian girl sold as a slave to the Turkish sultan who later becomes the ruler of the Ottoman empire; her image, in particular that of her clothes being torn at the slave market, became the ‘prototype’ for many of the looks in the collection.

Susan Fang AW24 (c) Dave Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Susan Fang

Susan Fang

Determined not to burst anyone’s bubble this London Fashion Week, Susan Fang AW24 models took to the runway in airy silhouettes, pastel hues and gauzy fabrics – while a huge bubble wand (or, more aptly, net) sat at the back of the room with a fan blowing bubbles out across the audience. Entitled ‘Air Home’, Fang’s collection envisaged and exploration of homes constructed from different dimensions: ‘a human world filled with love and kindness, a spiritual world of nature, an eternal virtual realm, a serene sea, and a beehive.’ The collection also feature two new collaborations for the season; one with Nike, which reimagined 13 pairs of classic shoes for the runway, and another Victoria’s Secret, a line of intimates, sleepwear and outerwear that ‘encapsulates the beautiful wishes of love and freedom.’

Designer Susan Fang On Her AW24 Presentation At London Fashion Week

Edeline Lee AW24

Edeline Lee

This season, Edeline Lee has created a collection that celebrates the relationships between mothers and daughters – and the clothing that binds them together. Lee, who departed from the brand’s signature immersive shows, instead chose to capture the collection through a series of family portraits of her friends, clients and supporters. The collection itself features fluid silhouettes created by waterfall drapery, as well as utilitarian style elements like built-in scarves and removable sleeves. The designer also played with 3D floral drapery through the use of hand-embroidered roses, with a colour palette that spanned from black, burgundy and malachite to lilac, ivory and pistachio.

Sunday 18 February 2024

Emilia Wickstead AW24

Emilia Wickstead

Describing her latest collection as a ‘snapshot in time’, this season Emilia Wickstead looked through the lens of street photography to capture the vibrant streets of mid-century New York. Characterised by soft tailoring and sartorial elegance, the collection is packed with unique ‘characters’ inspired by Teddy boys and girls, Upper East Side traditionalists, new wave academics and Italian American crafters. The designer also unveiled a collaboration with Grenson this season, debuting a welted loafer inspired by the Teddy boy style.

Saturday 17 February 2024

Simone Rocha AW24 (c) Ben Broomfield

Simone Rocha

Drama came in spades at the Simone Rocha’s AW24 presentation; the third in a trilogy of shows, the first being The Dress Reheasal for SS24 and the second The Wedding for Jean Paul Gaultier by Simone Rocha haute couture spring/summer 2024, this season’s The Wake was all about the funerary state. Taking inspiration from the mourning dress worn by Queen Victoria, which Rocha examined herself in the archives at Hampton Court, the collection saw models in Victoriana-style corsets and laced-up seams alongside a heavily monochromatic colour palette.

David Koma AW24

David Koma

David Koma immersed us in the world of dancers this season, with a collection inspired by an imaginary exchange between the late German neoexpressionist dance pioneer Pina Bausch and the contemporary Spanish action artist Candela Capitan. Playing on the interactions of light and movement, the collection deconstructed on-duty and off-duty dancer’s wardrobes through real-world and tech-centric visuals.

Molly Goddard AW24

Molly Goddard

A celebration of contradictions took place at Cecil Sharp House, where designer Molly Goddard presented her AW24 collection. This season, Goddard grounded her looks in the design process itself – starting with the experimental fittings that kick off each collection. ‘We start each season with an experimental fitting – vintage pieces, archived samples, toiles from previous collections,’ said Goddard. ‘There is rarely a single concept, but a visual pattern starts to emerge.’ The visual pattern in question this time around was the act of layering and meshing together different shapes, with an emphasis on playful textures and silhouettes.

Friday 16 February 2024

Huishan Zhang AW24

Huishan Zhang

It was a battle of cinematic legends at Huishan Zhang AW24, as the designer unveiled a collection inspired by the conflicting sartorial signatures of romantic rivals Ingrid Bergman and Anna Magnani. The actresses share quite a history, forming a love triangle with director Roberto Rossellini that resulted in two competing films on the same subject – with Bergman and Magnani in the leading roles. Zhang’s collection draws on the polarities of their personal style, contrasting Bergman’s ‘icy elegance’ with Magnani’s ‘operatic sensuality’, set against a colour palette inspired by the worked of Italian neorealist artist Renato Guttuso. There was mob wife-adjacent faux fur coats, rose-embroidered tulle dresses, a crisply tailored vegan leather trench coat and a white tweed co-ord. There was also a nod to Hollywood glamour, with glittery organza gowns and crinoline-supported dresses playing up the romance of cinema.

Mark Fast AW24 (c) Iker Aldama

Mark Fast

From London and beyond, Mark Fast presented ‘Galaxy Beyond’, an AW24 collection that used fashion to combine ‘urban city architecture and space-inspired charm. Fast leaned into his knit skillset this season, inspired by the futuristic designs 1960s architect Joe Colombo to push his own boundaries and create more expressive pieces. Exploding onto the runway like starbursts, knitted creations webbed over skin in constellations of wool – juxtaposed by fringe, velvet and metallic accents. The designer also emphasised the gender neutral elements of his designs, with fluid models walking the runway in outfits that ‘resonate with both the Mark Fast girl and guy.’

Temperley London AW24

Temperley London

Debuting one of her biggest collections to-date, Alice Temperley MBE took over Claridge’s with her AW24 presentation. Inspired by the riotous (and luxurious) energy of the Bright Young Things, Temperley infused her designs with playfulness – from fun textures and contrasting design elements to Dada-esque prints and striking silhouettes. Metamorphosis became a central theme for the collection, with nods to monarch butterflies scattered throughout. ‘Nearly a century on, we celebrate their liberated ethos and irreverent spirit for AW24,’ said Alice Temperley. ‘The shared tendency to break from convention and challenge the norm with a deep lust for life!’

Mithridate AW24 (c) Jason Lloyd Evans

Mithridate

The sound of tinkling harp strings greeted audiences for Mithridate’s AW24 presentation, Vita Aeterna, which was held in the Guildhall Crypt. Creative director Demon Zhang used her collection to explore the themes of independent existence and coexistence between humans and nature, split into three parts: time, identity and fate. Sticking to the brand’s signature ‘more is more’ approach, the collection was an eruption of rich materials, textures and colours – ‘time’ came to the fore in thick velvets, metallic coatings, bejewelled embroidery and three-dimensional florals; ‘identity’ was inspired by marine creatures and so featured a colour palette of crimson, coral, pink and rose gold with plenty of  with chain and rhinestone embellishments; and ‘fate’ played on cool, glass-like tones to give pieces a surreal edge.

Bora Aksu (c) James Cochrane / Jason Llloyd-Evans

Bora Aksu

Demi-couture is how designer Bora Aksu describes his work, and it’s an apt term. Diaphanous layers of exquisite lace, crochet and embroidery floated down the runway at the Hellenic Centre, crafted into the ultra-feminine frocks that have become his signature. The AW24 collection was inspired by sculptor Eva Hesse, who was recalled directly in the lace head scarves and berets that recreated her signature headwear, and indirectly through references to her work: open knits on the shoulders nodded at her cat’s-cradle rope sculptures, while layers of fabric, interspersed with sweeping tulle and iridescent panels, referenced her postmodern work with materiality.

Paul Costelloe AW24 (c) Ben Broomfield

Paul Costelloe

A quick switch to downtown New York at the Paul Costelloe show, where the designer sought to immerse audiences in the streets of NYC with a collection infused with urban romanticism. Set to a palette of winter whites, charcoal greys and rich tweeds, Costelloe leaned into cosmopolitan fits dressed up in beautifully tailored coats, 2010s-coded brown ankle boots, puff sleeves and leather gloves. The designer, who unfortunately couldn’t make it to the show himself due to a virus, even snuck in a print based on the NYC street where he once lived.

Thursday 15 February 2024

Harris Reed AW24 (c) Marc Hibbert

Harris Reed

While schedule events begin on the Friday, there was still plenty of celebration going on in the city – especially at Tate Britain, where Harris Reed showcased a collection inspired by the world of Victoriana. The designer, who became fascinated by 19th century shadow puppets during their research, worked on honing the dramatic outlines that make up their outfits, while departing from their usual monochromatic colour scheme. Print and colour came courtesy of luxury wallcovering experts Fromental, who helped Reed repurpose its archive silk wallpapers as fabrics.

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

After three seasons off, design duo Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi made a splash with their return to LFW, showing on a boat anchored next to Waterloo Bridge. The gothic genre, and particularly the life and work of Mary Shelley, was the starting point for their AW24 collection, which was full of dramatic black lace and romantic ruffles. Florals were everywhere, but were prevented from being overly saccharine by being paired with cunning cut-outs, oversized blazers and sweatshirts, and modern padded jackets that called to Preen’s interiors collection. Also present throughout were bustles – flirty, bouncing lace ruffs – that provided a clever finishing flourish to this accomplished collection. 

More LFW AW24

You can keep up with London Fashion Week AW24 at londonfashionweek.co.uk

Featured image: Harris Reed AW24 (c) Jason Lloyd Evans