The new and emerging designers to know at London Fashion Week SS25
Start planning your outfits – London Fashion Week is back and there's a host of new talent to discover
London Fashion Week returns this week (12 September) with a blend of physical and virtual events that will allow fashion professionals to get up-close-and-personal with the latest new-season collections.
And, while the schedule features a lot of household names, including Burberry, Erdem, JW Anderson and Simone Rocha, over the years London Fashion Week has built a reputation as an incubator for the brightest, most exciting new fashion talent. This is in part thanks to the quality of British fashion education institutions, like Central Saint Martins, but also thanks to funding programmes such as BFC Newgen and Fashion East, which aim to support emerging designers with the prohibitively expensive cost of an on-schedule runway show.
This season promises to be no different, with a host of new and emerging designers primed to showcase their innovative ideas, envelope-pushing silhouettes and fresh approach to fabrics. Here’s our guide to the names to be dropping on the FROW this season.
Pauline Dujancourt
Before launching her own label in 2022, Pauline Dujancourt worked for designers such as Simone Rocha and Rejina Pyo. Little surprise then, that the London-based French designer’s work is a masterclass in feminine style with a subversive twist. Originally from Paris, Dujancourt’s designs consist of fine crocheted and softly knit creations infused with drapes and deconstructed details. Metallic yarns and trims lend an ethereal aura while frayed edges and mesh panels add to a modern, contemporary look. Having been awarded the British Fashion Council Newgen prize and nominated as one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize 2024, Dujancourt is certainly one to watch.
Johanna Parv
In Johanna Parv’s world, practicality takes centrestage with every design. The Estonian-born London-based womenswear and accessories designer graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020. Since then, her eponymous label has been making its name on elegant wardrobe heroes that balance sensuality with functionality. Think activewear-inspired pieces such as nylon maxi dresses with a zipped midriff cut-outs, drawstring waisted ripstop skirts and lycra tops with sleek cut-outs for ventilation. Providing precisely tailored and ergonomically designed garments that'll look and feel good on a morning commute as well as a night out, Parv’s designs are made for the perennially on-the-move city woman.
Charlie Constantinou
London-based Charlie Constantinou is known for his functional, shape-shifting garments. Having studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins, he launched his eponymous label in 2022 after his graduate collection was picked up by Ssense. Constantinou’s adaptable sci-fi garments feature trousers with multiple zips for versatile fits, signature quilting techniques that fit every body and detachable panels for multipurpose wear. On a mission to combat the ills of fast fashion with pieces designed to be reworn, Constantinou’s polished design language has already resulted in collaborations with brands such as 66°North.
Masha Popova
Known for her wearable designs, Masha Popova exemplifies contemporary Y2K nostalgia. Popova boasts an impressive CV that includes stints at Maison Margiela and Celine, in addition to a BA and MA at Central Saint Martins, with the Ukrainian-born London-based designer drawing on her childhood for her innovative pieces.
Popova focuses on traditional garment-making techniques infused with zero-waste textiles and hand-dyed fabrics to make butterfly tops, embroidered trousers, and cut-out dresses in a bright colour palette. Seen on fashion trendsetters like Dua Lipa, Kylie Jenner and Billie Eilish, Popova’s fresh take on retro silhouettes breathes new life into the trend.
Kazna Asker
A brilliant example of fashion steeped in community values, Kazna Asker’s design vocabulary draws on her Yemeni heritage and British upbringing. Recently graduated from Central Saint Martins, Asker became the first designer to showcase a hijabi collection at CSM’s MA fashion show during London Fashion Week SS23. Combining elements of sportswear with traditional fabrics, the result is unique collections that feature tracksuits and athletic silhouettes alongside traditional Islamic garments such as the jilbab, abaya and thobe. With unique silhouettes and community-driven designs, Asker is a star on the rise grounded in consciousness.
Harri
Remember the distinctly viral inflatable balloon trousers Sam Smith wore at the BRIT awards last year? That was one of the fun creations Kerala-born designer Harikrishnan Pillai is known for. Graduating from an MA in Menswear at London College of Fashion in 2020, Pillai made waves right from the off with his brand Harri and its scroll-stopping designs. The aforementioned trousers, crafted from individual latex panels, are a reflection of the designer’s sculptural aesthetic language, featuring in collections alongside beaded tops, latex tank tops, and cropped blazers. Designed to make a statement, the exaggerated silhouettes at Harri speak volumes.
Paolo Carzana
Welsh designer Paolo Carzana’s eponymous brand is one on every fashion insider’s radar. Recipient of the British Fashion Council Newgen award and artist in residence at Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation, Carzana also received the British Fashion Council and Kering Scholarship for Sustainability during his MA at Central Saint Martins.
Carzana’s designs are sculpted to the body with cutouts and drapes signifying strength more than sexualisation. Frayed, tucked, and twisted patterns are handcrafted from plant-based, recycled, organic and repurposed materials using natural dyes. Imbued with the ethereal whimsy of folklore and grounded in delicately technical construction, Carzana’s work stands out.
Read more: The complete guide to fashion month
