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Evening Standard

Lifestyle

Joe Bromley

Here’s how everyone can get involved this London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week the British Fashion Council Priya Ahluwalia

The capital’s most stylish week returns — starting today and running until Monday, February 24 — and while your front-row invitation to the Burberry show might have got lost in the post, anyone out and about across town is encouraged to get a taste of the magic.

This season (“AW25”, where our leading designers will be presenting the looks we should all be obsessed with next autumn/winter) the British Fashion Council has also, for the first time, set up a LFW hub for everyone to browse, shop, get a coffee, listen to a talk and meet some like-minded people.

“London Fashion Week The Shop” has been established across three sprawling floors at 245 Regent Street, where everyone with an eye for style can buy pieces from the emerging brands our style scene thrives off.

Conner Ives (LILY CRAIGEN for the BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL)

“We are super excited about representing an array of British designers in what has been a first for me and for fashion week,” says Lewis Bloyce. The consultant and menswear buyer has, alongside Ida Petersson, the former buying director of Browns, curated an offering from up-and-coming designers who will be known to those who keep an eye on the official show schedule.

“When you walk in, you’re kind of going to be swallowed by fashion,” he continues. “There will be a beautifully dressed window and an array of the best ready-to-wear brands downstairs. Then upstairs is where all the extra fun happens, really.

“There is an area for the panel talks, breakout areas where you can hang out on lovely sofas and bar stools. Expect places to have a drink — the space is sponsored by Kronenbourg’s 1664 Blanc, a longtime supporter of fashion week — as well as areas to get crafty.”

Saul Nash (Genevieve Williams for the British Fashion Council)

Helen Kirkham, who is known for making deconstructed trainers using parts of old shoes destined for landfill, will be running DIY charm-building workshops. Bloyce and Petersson also promise everything from piercings (by Aurum.ldn, the Shoreditch-based piercers) to a nail salon in what could be touted as fashion week’s newest epicentre.

Certainly the biggest pull is the rare opportunity to shop some one-of-a-kind garments, straight out of the studios of London’s brightest new things.

As for why this should be of interest, Bloyce says: “Over the last few years there’s been a huge lack in personal style — it is something that people really need to adopt again. You can elevate it exponentially, not to mention have a lot of fun, by investing in designers that you either don’t know, or are just starting to get to know.”

Plus, all the money spent will be going back in the pockets of the designers who made the products. “This was so important because we want to use this as an opportunity to help. The past three or four years have been really difficult for retail, and we’re just trying to help ignite the fire again,” he says.

So, whose names should you be looking for on the tags, and dropping into conversation? There are 22 designers featured, all of whom are worth a follow on Instagram at the least.

16Arlington (Eeva Rinne for the British Fashion Council)

Leading the womenswear offering is 16Arlington, the party-girl go-to famous for “hedonistic” shimmering gowns, designed by the London-based Italian designer Marco Capaldo, as well as Tolu Coker, the British-Nigerian designer who has splashed on to the scene in recent seasons with her thought-provoking collections looking at the complexities of diasporic black identity.

KNWLS and Masha Popova both offer cool-girl uniforms of biker jackets and low-slung denim, while Conner Ives, the American-born, London-based Central Saint Martins graduate, has made his name with deconstructed T-shirt dresses and gowns crafted with out-of-the-box thinking and deadstock materials: see his piano shawl gowns.

Masha Popova (Charlie Wheeler for the British Fashion Council)

There will also be beautifully saturated pieces from beloved label Ahluwalia. Its mens and womenswear, made by Priya Ahluwalia, combine elements from her dual Indian-Nigerian heritage and London roots. These will be alongside technical designs by Saul Nash, the north-east London-born designer who has gained acclaim with his unique, sporty looks positioned between the dance and fashion worlds.

Elsewhere, E.L.V. Denim, a pioneering jeans label producing everything using 100 per cent recycled materials, will offer more casual options; Completedworks will cater to those after an irresistible addition of pearls; and Ancuța Sarca is selling her sneaker-heel hybrids for anyone feeling brave. “Generally brands will be selling products to RRP if it’s current season and there’ll be some healthy markdowns across products from past seasons,” says Bloyce. “It all just feels very London.”

And do not leave it there. Bloyce suggests anyone wanting to continue their LFW weekend to head into Soho, “which is always pretty popping during Fashion Week”. Your walking tour should then include a stroll past 180 Strand, the main showplace for this season (expect plenty of photographers, models and the street style hopefuls) and a general gander about the central Mayfair area, which will undoubtedly be buzzing with appointments and shows.

Don’t forget to do so wearing one of our stars, though. As Bloyce puts it: “We would just love the public to come and spend some of their hard-earned coin supporting the young up and coming designers of the future.”

Fashion Week The Shop is open from February 22-24 at 245 Regent Street. Book the talks at britishfashioncouncil.co.uk