Thursday night, after 2 macchiatos at Bar Italia, I caught up with friends at clothing store Machine A, where a crowd piled into the street for Maximilian Raynor’s afters. It was a mix of people who had been to the show, come from the CSM MA FW25, or were just crashing— like me. Dancing as Raynor’s textile-focused collection played on surrounding screens, we tired ourselves out before the first show of the week.
Fashion East
I was excited when Lulu Kennedy’s non-profit, Fashion East, took guests away from LFW’s favorite venue, 180 Strand, drawing them east to Brick Lane.
If you were lucky enough to be backstage pre-show, you might have seen Wolfgang Tillmans hanging out in a red hoodie in one corner, while the production team had tea time in the other. Photographers stalked the space, catching models ‘candidly’ scrolling on their phones mid-makeup— a little pose in itself. My favorite off-duty look we caught was a USA t-shirt paired with a purple studded belt.
In line for the show, I struck up a conversation with the woman in front of me—I loved her hat. Inside, we headed towards the bar. Is all of LFW sponsored by Cîroc? I hoped it would be. This season, the Fashion East runway featured three labels: LOUTHER, Nuba, and Olly Shinder. Known for spotlighting emerging talent, the cohesive program—carried over from SS25—presented clean, wearable looks. Slightly un-London. The show opened with LOUTHER, where models carried painted masks, a commentary on shifting personas in different settings. The utilitarian skatewear brand went gothic this season, setting the stage for Olly Shinder’s refined, fetish-inspired garments. His collection this year offered a new perception of ‘90s European menswear. Nuba also emphasized tailoring, exploring the impact of physical space on the state of mind through twisted drapes and distorted necklines.
After the show, I headed back to Soho for a Bande à Part gig. The crowd wore black, still hungover from the first of three The Hellp concerts that weekend. Outside The Social, I spotted models from the earlier show smoking and chatting about their upcoming Paris plans. I joined in briefly but didn’t stay long, feeling my eyes redden from lack of sleep. I didn’t wake up until noon the next day.
Sinéad O'Dwyer
Saturday at 17:00, I took the Central Line to 180 Strand for the Sinéad O'Dwyer show. At the building’s entrance, attendees in short skirts and eclectic colors had their photo ops. Inside, the venue had been converted into a fashion dungeon; editors on the couches typed frantically in the blue light, having beers between crammed schedules.
Sinéad O'Dwyer’s collection, titled ‘Character Studies,’ incorporated traditional Irish dancing shoes with bubble dresses and leather harnesses. Her casting was central to the presentation, emphasizing inclusivity as a key element of her design philosophy. The pieces themselves maintained a thread I kept finding through LFW, exploring introspection through the subversion of a dominatrix’s wardrobe. Perhaps it’s the lasting impact of the 80s club kids? Whatever the case, O'Dwyer’s vividly realized world solidified her place as one to watch, especially with plans to show outside of London’s NEWGEN scheme next season.
Post-show, my friends and I headed to the Kiko Kostadinov mixer, arriving just after 23:00—too late. Security at the ICA told us we’d missed the party, so we ended up back in Soho for a quick drink to wrap up the night.
Chet Lo
Sunday afternoon, in lieu of Mass, guests gathered for Chet Lo’s FW25 runway. Moving among paper sculptures, the print-focused looks played on the label’s codes. Lo combined his signature fabric manipulations with a nod to tradition by reclaiming Asian art motifs and chinoiserie. Refined silhouettes, consisting of neatly cut blazers and low-high skirts, were representative of a shift towards the structural this LFW. To close his show, Lo jumped in the air and sprinted down the runway, leaving behind some of the collection’s energy.
After grabbing a bite backstage, I found myself at the Radisson Blu near Covent Garden, waiting to head to West London for my final show of the evening.
KENT&CURWEN
At 19:00, I made my way to the Commonwealth Office, catching a bus to Westminster. By the time I arrived, a queue had already formed for the KENT&CURWEN show—the end to my fashion week. Surrounded by 19th-century architecture, guests were directed into a shadow-draped space as the runway soundtrack chimed in the background.
The show started soon after, models moving like puzzle pieces across the hall in reimagined prep school attire. Interspersed with TFL train announcements, the music transported guests into a world inspired by C.S. Lewis’ Narnia.
Holding true to heritage, the collection featured tartans, stripes, and plaids, bringing a boyishness to classic British styles. With its origins in Eton school ties, KENT&CURWEN delivered a quintessentially British close to my weekend. If only I’d had the energy for a pint at the pub after.
