London Fashion Week S/S 2026: live updates from Wallpaper* editors

Aaron Esh stages show in ex-nightclub Oval Space

Aaron Esh rounded out a busy day in the city yesterday evening with an adrenalised display thrown in the former Oval Space nightclub in Hoxton. As ever with the designer, it was a decidedly London affair that felt more underground party than a runway. Fashion editors, friends of the designer and crowds of art kids clad in Hedi Slimane-esque outfits filled the shadowy warehouse space, where artist Charlie Gosling was DJing a head-pounding mix of techno and Liverpool rap. The show itself presented a sharp evolution of the dark, precise identity that has established Esh as one of the city’s most exciting talents, merging East End leatherwork with Savile Row tailoring in his distinctive style. Art directed by Jamie Reid and styled by Katy England – whose son, Lux Gillespie, walked the show – it was a satisfyingly self-assured collection, cheered on by a cross-generational army of Esh’s supporters. Orla Brennan

Stefan Cooke takes over London’s Tenderbooks

The minuscule independent book store Tenderbooks on Cecil Court was taken over by London-based label Stefan Cooke this evening, seeing designers Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt preview their S/S 2026 collection with a newspaper-style lookbook and window display (for refreshment, enormous ice buckets of beer). Having eschewed the runway show in favour of these more intimate showcases, the event marked a coming together of the brand’s close-knit community (many of whom were already plotting their orders for the season ahead) and introduced another highly desirable offering from the pair, who – excitingly – are doing things entirely on their own terms. Jack Moss

Roksanda’s S/S 2026 collection draws inspiration from the ‘negative space’ of Barbara Hepworth

Earlier this afternoon, Roksanda Ilinčić staged her S/S 2026 runway show in the vast subterranean ballroom of London’s Chancery Rosewood hotel, which opened its doors earlier this month after an extensive renovation of the former American Embassy on Grosvenor Square (the address has had significant buzz this week after the opening of Carbone restaurant, an outpost of the New York institution, on the hotel’s ground floor). This season, Ilinčić looked towards the figure of Barbara Hepworth – the designer has often drawn on women artists for inspiration, as well as hosting them on her front row – for an evocative collage of colour, texture and silhouette which the designer said was inspired by the artist’s use of negative space. This was most evidenced in a series of cut-out silhouettes which recalled the lines of Hepworth’s sculptures, though Ilinčić also looked towards the natural landscapes which surround The Hepworth Wakefield (the artist’s institution in Yorkshire), with prints recalling the nearby river and colourful fronds of raffia providing a riff on the locale’s verdant landscapes. The show also heralded the brand’s 20th anniversary, which the designer marked with reissues of her ‘Margot’, ‘Anya’ and ‘Cataline’ dresses, designs which span 2012 to today – a testament to her staying power. Jack Moss

Catch up on the standout shows of day one of London Fashion Week

Alongside our live, on-the-ground coverage, we’re also collating the standout shows of London Fashion Week. From a busy day one, these include Oscar Ouyang’s debut runway show – the Central Saint Martins alum and knitwear expert drew inspiration from owls, doves and eagles in an intriguing opening gambit – to a Fashion East show which celebrated a riotous 25 years of the talent incubator at the ICA. Rounding out the evening was Chopova Lowena’s playful ode to the cheerleader through the an outsider’s eye. ‘[It was] a love letter to the ‘weird girls’ they have been doing it for since the start,’ wrote Orla Brennan of the collection.

READ: The standout shows of London Fashion Week S/S 2026

Chopova Lowena channels ‘cheerlore’ in west London

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The Chopova Lowena show is always an energetic highlight of London Fashion Week – and this season was no different. In a deconsecrated church-turned-gym hall in west London, the design duo Laura Lowena and Emma Chopova staged an S/S 2026 collection that channeled the spirit of American cheerleading groups. A mis- mash of vintage chairs lined the space, ranging from plush bean bags to stiff Victorian school chairs. As guests took their seats, furry cheerleading mascots worked the room handing out boxes of crisps.

The collection that followed was every inch the duo’s eclectic, adrenalised signature. Imagining a cheer-coded wardrobe for the outcasts, it merged Bulgarian textiles with high school sports gear – from glittery pleated carabiner skirts worn with gothic football lace-up bras, to peekaboo chainmail puffed sleeved dresses. As ever, the pair’s casting and soundtrack was brilliantly and beautifully unusual, seeing a parade of unconventional characters march through the space to a berserk soundtrack that blended thrashing metal, cheer chants and thumping dub. While cheerleading might be associated with the ‘popular girls’ in American films, this show was for the outsiders: ‘It’s a rallying cry for the weird girls out there – we are rooting for you!’ Orla Brennan

Fashion East celebrates 25 years

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It’s 25 years since Lulu Kennedy began Fashion East, the talent incubator which launched the careers of Kim Jones, Jonathan Anderson, Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner and Craig Green (among several others). Celebrations took place this afternoon at London’s ICA, where, alongside the runway show itself – this year’s participants were Jacek Gleba, Mayhew and Nuba – Kennedy staged an exhibition of ephemera from across the 25 years, which an accompanying letter described as ‘rowdy and raw’ (Fashion East has long had an anarchic energy). Highlights included a Perspex-covered handbag by Stefan Cooke; Craig Green’s wooden ‘fence’ chest plates (part of his debut collection); and a pair of surreal elongated plushie toys by Claire Barrow, while an accompanying film and wall of snapshots – collated over the last two decades – captured Fashion East’s establishment-defying approach. Over the weekend, a series of talks will reminisce on the unique institution, while also looking towards its future – one which relies heavily on London’s fashion institutions, which remain the world’s best. Jack Moss

Jonathan Anderson opens the doors to his renovated London store, marking a new chapter for the British brand

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Earlier this summer, in Paris, Jonathan Anderson teased his new vision for JW Anderson – a convergence of fashion, objects and artworks which saw the Northern Irish designer embrace his curatorial eye. ‘[It’s] things that I either want to wear or want to live with,’ he told Wallpaper* at the preview, which unfolded in a simulacrum of a JW Anderson store in a Paris gallery, designed as it would appear after renovations later that year. This afternoon, London Fashion Week guests were treated to the real thing, as Anderson invited a first look at his newly redesigned store in London’s Soho neighbourhood. Part-lifestyle (pots of honey, teacups, lavender-filled cushions and the like), part-fashion (riffs on Anderson’s greatest hits, with greater focus on craft and making), the store design is an exercise in restraint, with neutral panelled walls inviting the products themselves to serve as the store’s decoration. His Milanese outpost has also been renovated, while a new store in London’s Pimlico – with a greater focus on the home and lifestyle elements – is set to follow. Jack Moss

READ: Fashion, objects and artworks converge as Jonathan Anderson takes his eponymous British label in a new direction

Oscar Ouyang makes London Fashion Week debut

Kicking off London Fashion Week with a display in the Newgen space, Oscar Ouyang’s first runway show was inspired by messenger birds such as owls, doves and eagles. Setting the scene with origami paper birds – keepsakes for the audience – perched on benches and lost letters scattered across floors, the collection itself saw the Central Saint Martins knitwear MA graduate twist his grunge-coded wardrobe for warmer months. Some looks allowed skin to breathe, such as honeycomb open-weave knits and feather-light tailored cargo pants, while more experimental show pieces made use of the stage offered by a runway show, including hulking padded wool T-shirts and shorts crafted from chicken and turkey feathers discarded by the meat industry. A moment he had been anticipating since moving from Beijing to study in London aged 17, the event was an opportunity to make his mark, the designer told Wallpaper* in a preview earlier this week: ‘[The show is a] chance to really push my community’s identity. I want it to be full of energy and be fresh, but with a little bit of naiveness. It’s the feeling of having a curiosity towards the world: open-minded but confident.’ Orla Brennan

READ: Oscar Ouyang’s imaginative knitwear makes him a London Fashion Week name to watch