LONDON has always been the capital of contrasts – heritage and rebellion, tradition and avant-garde. And for autumn-winter 2025, the city cemented its status once again as the big four’s most exciting style incubator.
From Fashion East’s emerging names like Louther and Olly Shinder to BFC NEWGEN’s Sinéad O’Dwyer and Di Petsa, all building brand momentum, to Burberry’s return to British countryside heritage and Erdem’s triumphant love of romanticism – the city is rife with new ideas.
RAY CHU
Returning to LFW for a fourth season, Taiwanese RAY CHU embraced the sustainability requirements and honed in on presenting the durability of natural forms. Looking at the strength of ecosystems, he wanted to make a statement that showcased the beauty of the natural world by using original textiles made from sustainable sources—like SECAO fibre, the waste husk of raw cacao plant, and Water chestnut shell charcoal yarn. 3D printing helped craft sculptural silhouettes, whilst pinstripes, vegan leather, and sequins added a vivid, contemporary essence to AW25.
Chopova Lowena
‘The girls in the sky are the girls of our dreams’ outlines the notes for Chopova Lowena‘s autumn-winter 2025 collection. This season, the design duo looked up for inspiration and uncovered the skydivers of the 1910s, the WASP female pilots and the Russian Night Witches of the 40s, all flying planes with the same mission in mind – freedom. Rounded collars, secure bombers and cinched waists were met with ‘Don’t talk to me, I’m flying right now’ slogans, butterfly motifs and clusters of badges.
Like any Chopova Lowena collection, one theme is not enough. The other half of the design language was the Second Summer of Love. The one where Acid House made its mark in the 1980s and created an ecstasy wonderland on the outskirts of English cities. Their staple carabiner skirts were given a party makeover and mini dresses were adorned with pony bead patterns. Whichever way you wish to interpret the term ‘high’ this season, they want you to remember to Have a nice trip!
TOGA
For TOGA’s autumn-winter 2025, Yasuko Furuta rebelled against formality. Understanding that the landscape of dressing has changed and the rigid structure of what was once acceptable is now undated, the designer presented a show that created a new sort of informality; one which she named as ‘anti-form’.
Using American photographer William Eggleston as a centre point, she used his simple staple of wearing an untied bow around his neck as a statement of getting undone. Shirts were layered with a blazer and worn back to front to play with obvious visual changes, whilst collars were exaggerated and worn to the side and coat lapels were adorned with faux fur.
Referencing her 2017 collection, in which she presented skirts with hole detailing to display the unnecessary nature of certain design choices, she reimagined the same through a ring micro skirt that, despite its shortness, would still keep the wearer entirely covered.
Geordie Campbell
Despite being a new kid on the block, Geordie Campbell is already getting top marks. For his third collection, he returned to the beginning of the school year to present his new collection aptly titled Michaelmas. Highlighting the nuances of getting ready for the first day back, from the ritual of getting dressed in your uniform to making sure you look smart enough for your photo being taken, this season was an education in youthful sartorialism.
With this at the forefront of AW25, the designer still remains steadfast in being rooted in the many facets of the queer identity of the “young British boy”. This collection debuts a Ballet Dress and an electric corduroy suit as obvious markers of this characterisation, whilst a Dennis the Menace striped long john-style dress gives a cheeky nod to childhood comic books.
Bringing back his now-signature kilt, he adorns it with celebratory rosette ribbons, all featuring slogans like ‘Stuck Up’, ‘Worship Me’ and ‘Man Up’ to complete his meticulous 16-look collection.
by Imogen Clark