The Coolest Shows From London Fashion Week

Dilara Findikoglu Ends Toxic Masculinity

This season, Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu is fixated on vulnerability and tenderness in order to combat toxic masculinity and celebrate femininity. All 37 looks had a name, embodying the energy of the clothes and through movement, which was directed by Pat Boguslawski. Hari Nef, who opened the show for example, represented “Female Territory” in a pinstripe suit and dress shirt that seemed to fall down her body, resting like a skirt, to reveal a white bodysuit undergarment. Models also wore more of the designer’s interpretation of business clothes, as well as corseted athletic wear, leather and denim separates and Rococo-esque gowns in stiff fabric that looked suspended in the air.

Photos courtesy of Dilara Findikoglu

Burberry Is Feeling Earthy

Fall 2024 was creative director Daniel Lee’s third collection for the British heritage brand, inspired by the people and landscapes of the UK and Ireland. The setting: a big tent resembling a medieval jousting arena — a nod to Burberry’s equestrian knight logo. The clothes: a lot of trenches in moleskin and field jackets in earthy tones paired with shearlings, wools, and plaids. It’s all made for looking elegant in the outdoors.

Photos courtesy of Burberry

JW Anderson Puts on a Granny Wig

Jonathan Anderson is a weirdo but makes it cool. For his latest collection at London Fashion Week, the designer was inspired by Last of the Summer Wine, a classic British comedy show on TV about a bunch of old people in a village in Yorkshire, who wear lots of cozy layers and slippers. Of course, that showed up in the show: models walked in lacy knit undergarments, v-neck knit dresses in exaggerated bubble shapes, massive tweed overcoats, droopy knit separates and, of course, gray granny wigs.

Photos courtesy of JW Anderson

Tolu Coker Brings Ghana to London

After a two-week trip to Ghana, where Tolu Coker encountered Accra's hawkers (roadside vendors who sell everything from merchandise to food while carrying huge loads atop their heads), the British-Nigerian designer decided to pay homage to their uniforms in her collection titled “Broken English.” Sharply tailored separates influenced by the ‘60s and ‘70s combined the vendors’ everyday wear with the brand's refined aesthetic. Circular shapes, stripes, floral prints and ochre, reminiscent of Accra’s sandy roads were main focuses. Pleated ankle-length skirts and A-line dresses mirror conservative kaftans. Balloon pants take inspiration from Sokoto trousers worn by Yoruba men. And aged denim and leather were reworked in the collection to make waistcoats and dresses.

Photos courtesy of Tolu Coker

Chet Lo Gets Ancient 

Chinese-American designer Chet Lo was always fascinated as a child by emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s Terracotta Army. For his Fall 2024 collection, the statues came to life as Lo played with the placement and scale of his iconic spikes. They ran down a hoodie's sleeves' sides, along pants and skirts in columns and down pants before they amplified in size. And wool skirt/trouser combos, off-the-shoulder sweaters that hugged the body and liquid-y metal headdresses nodded to the armor of the Terracotta Army.

Photos courtesy of Chet Lo

Susan Fang Imagines a Fantastical Sanctuary

In a world full of darkness, Susan Fang envisioned a sanctuary filled with love, kindness, nature and spiritualism for her collection, titled “Air Home.” Emphasizing the brand's craftsmanship, this season introduced a new technique that Fang calls “air-whirl” — circular organza ribbons in three-color gradients surrounding each other. Knitwear was inspired by marine life with blue, pink, yellow and purple hues. Creating the effect of ocean waves, stars and clover hearts were sewn onto down jackets and shawls in different color combinations. And in collaboration with Nike, Fang deconstructed and reinterpreted styles like Vomero 5, V2K, P-6000 and Air Max Scorpion FK on the runway.

Photos courtesy of Susan Fang