The Top 5 Shows from LFW Spring-Summer 2025
Fashion Week moves from New York to London, where the city continues to shine on the global fashion stage. London has long been a hub for bold, innovative street style, with a distinctive flair that sets it apart. During London Fashion Week, the city buzzes with even more energy, as industry professionals flock to see new collections and presentations from a wide array of designers. Amidst the hustle and excitement, countless brand and industry events add extra layers of excitement, making Fashion Week in London an unforgettable experience. Here are the top five shows from London Fashion Week.
Dreaming Eli’s Love Letter to Greek Myths and Monsters
Photo: Sarah Schindler via New Wave Magazine
Fashion brand Dreaming Eli was started by London-based Italian designer Elisa Trombatore. Since its debut in London Fashion Week in 2021, it has continued to be a brand to look out for every season. Their new collection was titled Mother of Pearl, Daughter of Flesh. The collection takes us to Sicily and draws inspiration from a story in Greek mythology of Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla and Charybdis are two sea monsters living on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina. Scylla was once a beautiful woman but was poisoned and turned into a six-headed monster for eternity.
Like Scylla, Charybdis was also once a woman who was cursed to become a whirlpool. In the past, sailors often feared going through the Strait of Messina due to this myth. The legend sparked the saying “Between Scylla and Charybdis” or choosing between two negative options. The textiles used pull from the movement of water with its draping, and color. The collection is unapologetically feminine with many shades of pink, and nude with lace and pearl detailing. While thinking of the myth and collection together, they both touch on the beauty that Scylla and Charybdis once had before they were cursed for eternity. It turns a story about male fear into an empathetic love letter to the sea monsters themselves.
photo via Dreaming Eli
Karoline Vitto’s Spring/Summer 2025 show at London Fashion Week was a striking celebration of size inclusivity and architectural sensuality. Titled “Undertide,” the collection embraced the natural curves and contours of the body, with sculptural cutouts and metal accents that played with both visibility and concealment. Held in a minimalist gallery space, the show highlighted the brands' signature style of blending bold, exposed skin with soft, draped fabric. Models of all sizes walked confidently down the runway, embodying the collection's empowering message of self-acceptance and strength.
The Inclusivity Award Goes to…Karoline Vitto
Karoline Vitto’s Spring/Summer 2025 show at London Fashion Week was a striking celebration of size inclusivity and architectural sensuality. Titled “Undertide,” the collection embraced the natural curves and contours of the body, with sculptural cutouts and metal accents that played with both visibility and concealment. Held in a minimalist gallery space, the show highlighted the brands' signature style of blending bold, exposed skin with soft, draped fabric. Models of all sizes walked confidently down the runway, embodying the collection's empowering message of self-acceptance and strength.
photo via Karoline Vitto
‘Karoline is a Dazed100 and Vogue 100, winner of the Emerging Designer of the Year award at the Latin American Fashion Awards in 2023, an LVMH semi-finalist and BFC NEWGEN for 2024.’
Everything Opens To Touch: Inside the Intimate Show of Irish Creative Genius
photo via Synead 0'Dwyer
Sinead O'Dwyer’s Spring/Summer 2025 show at London Fashion Week was a bold and intimate exploration of body politics and personal expression. The Irish native presented an immersive experience titled ‘Everything Opens to Touch’, exploring palpable concepts and emotional intensity featuring poetry readings by Witch Trials and Coasha all to the backdrop of visual artist Sharna Osborne.
Held in an industrial studio, the show had a raw and organic feel, with a stunning and refreshing cast of models showcasing pieces that merged form-fitting designs with voluminous, fluid fabrics. O'Dwyer’s use of mesh, latex, and hand-draped textiles created a dynamic contrast, emphasizing the tension between constraint and freedom, a central theme in her work. Reimagined her signature shibari-inspired harness through modern details that were subjected to experimentation with rafa ruffles, micro-culotte denim skirts and distressed finishes.
photo via Synead 0'Dwyer
Perhaps the most memorable part of the presentation, other than the clothing, were the live presentations of intimacy displays. Casting director Emma Matell worked with Lover Management -a creative agency specialized in the erotic- to cast a set of three couples who allowed the audience to experience their intimate atmosphere, to the sound of models' footsteps.
Ebay’s Tribute to Circular and Second-hand Fashion
Photo: Tristan Fewings via
With second-hand websites like Vestiaire Collective and ThredUp gaining traction, it's clear that online thrift stores have surged in popularity, driven not just by sustainability but also by affordability and convenience. According to Vogue Business, searches for preloved fashion skyrocketed by 1,600%, while those for sustainability grew by an astounding 7,000%. In response, eBay plans to capitalize on this growing trend by rebranding itself as a destination for clothing shoppers, positioning the platform as a key player in the fashion world.
On the first day of London Fashion Week, eBay made a bold statement with its fashion show in Shoreditch, titled The Endless Runway Show. Organized by eBay’s Preloved Style Director, Amy Bannerman, and hosted by model Leomie Anderson, the event showcased second-hand clothing available on the platform. Partnering with the British Fashion Council, the show was a success, live-streamed on eBay’s website, with most pieces selling out quickly. It marked a significant step in eBay’s transformation into a hub for fashion enthusiasts.
Kent and Curwen Rebrand by Going Back to Their British Roots
Photo: Filippo Fior via Vogue
British heritage brand Kent and Curwen has seen better days in recent decades. In the 2010s, the brand could not keep up with the changing market. In 2015, the brand hoped to resolve this by partnering with former soccer star David Beckham. However, even with this partnership, the brand continued to lose money. In 2020, Beckham announced that he cut ties with the brand, and the brand was left in limbo. In 2023, the brand was bought out by Chinese golf brand and manufacturer Biem.L.Fdlkk Garment. With the help of creative director, Daniel Kearns, the brand hopes to fully re-invent itself and gain a new younger consumer base globally.
The show was held at the Royal Academy, and for the first time in the brand's history, they featured womenswear in their collection. The collection pulls from its original heritage by having aspects of school uniforms and tailoring but Kearns designed them with a twist. The collection shows a youthful and unique take on the school uniform with striking shapes and entertaining hues. Kearns was thinking about the numerous forms of dress in academia. With new owners and a hungry creative director, the brand is seeing a new vision for its future and it looks bright.
Roksanda Looks to Art for Inspiration
Photo: Daniele Oberrauch via Vogue
London-based designer Roksanda Ilinčić started her brand in 2005 and since then, she has become a favorite among celebrities and during fashion week. This past May, the designer sold her brand to the development platform, The Brand Group after a rocky few years. With her still at the helm of creative director, the designer has a new collection inspired by Hungarian artist Agnes Denes' work, Wheatfield: A Confrontation. The 1980s art piece was a 2.2-acre wheat field planted next to the World Trade Center in between the Statue of Liberty and the Financial District.
Roksanda often pulls from female artists and their work as inspiration for her collections. Wheatfield is telling its audience about the importance of co-existing with nature and represents revival. The garments pull from this idea with natural materials such as raffia fringe. Some looks had neutral or muted color tones that can be seen in nature. With her brand being in difficult times recently, Roksanda can see her brand as the Wheatfield she was inspired by and witness a resurgence in the future.
Erdem Explores Sexual and Gender Identity with Fashion
Photo: Henry Nicholls via USA Today
Erdem Designer Erdem Moralioglu explored the many unique forms of masculinity and femininity, particularly when it comes to the queer experience. His collection was a tribute to the book, The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. The book is a lesbian love story about the character Stephen Gordon as she grapples with her sexual and gender identity. At the time, the book was banned by the British government for its subject matter. The collection was a homage not only to the main character but also to the author herself, who often wore pantsuits. The suits were created in collaboration with Edward Sexton from Saville Row Tailoring.
Erdem designed the collection using the trends from the 1920s. Dresses were covered in sequins and diamonds with the classic shapeless silhouette. Pantsuits mimicked the ones men often wore. This collection is a reminder that even after all this time, not much has changed. Books with queer characters are still being banned, and gender norms can still be rigid. However, today, the difference is more people with platforms like designer Erdem Moralioglu can highlight the queer stories that were once hidden.
A 40th Birthday to Remember
This season's London Fashion Week was particularly memorable, as it marked the 40th anniversary of the event, celebrating four decades of innovation and transformation within the industry. Over the years, London Fashion Week has witnessed significant shifts, reflecting the evolving nature of fashion and its influence on global culture. These five standout shows exemplified the diversity within the industry—not just in terms of style, but also in the range of inspiration, cultural narratives, and immersive brand experiences on display.
As London Fashion Week comes to a close, it reinforces its position as a dynamic and essential part of fashion month. The milestone anniversary was a testament to the city's ability to remain at the forefront of fashion, constantly pushing boundaries and embracing creativity in new, unexpected ways.
