London’s weather forecast might be dampening spirits (or at least outerwear), but the opposite is to be said for the roster at London Fashion Week.
Today marks the start of fashion shows, presentations, and parties filled with the city’s most stylish individuals. Joseph returns to the runway for the first time since 2017, while LFW staples Simone Rocha, Erdem, and Burberry continue to be hotly anticipated.
But what gets industry folk excited about the shows in the big smoke isn’t just big names. London has always been an incubator for young design talent, as Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, and Stephen Daley all started their respective brands in the city. Here’s the fledgling creatives worth knowing about before they blow up.Â
Rising LFW womenswear designers
SelasiÂ
Ronan Mckenzie launched Selasi in 2020, and draws its name from the Ghanaian Ewe meaning ‘God hears me’. Through her designs, which reductionists may call minimalist, McKenzie explores how garments and the person wearing them inhabit a space.
But fashion design isn’t Mckenzie’s only bread and butter. The multidisciplinary artist has explored Black identities across photography, film, and her exhibition space ‘Home’, which closed in 2023. If you’re not following her for her clothes, you’re bound to see her name appearing across different mediums.
See also: The Best Street Style at New York AW26 Fashion Week
Talia Byre
Since graduating from Central Saint Martins and launching her brand in 2020, Talia Lipkin-Connor has been honoring her great uncle’s boutique, Lucinda Byre. The store on Liverpool’s Bold Street existed from 1964 to 1982, and became a cornerstone of the community. Now, with multiple stockists under her belt and an e-store, Lipkin-Connor is hoping to keep that same spirit alive with her own designs. Unsurprisingly, Talia Byre’s asymmetric jerseys, bright color palettes, and deconstructed shirting has made the designer a favorite amongst cool Londoners.Â
Liberowe
Founded by Talia Loubaton in 2021, Liberowe is both London-centric and worldly. The brand makes all of its pieces in the city, honoring and embracing its storied history of tailoring, but draws inspiration from Indian menswear and Parisian style from the seventies.
That translates into structural jackets, peplum tops, and a-line skirt silhouettes in neutral shades, primed for both serious business and more playful affairs. Already winning over the fashion crowd despite its fledgling status, it’s already stocked at Net-A-Porter, Harrods, and Bloomingdale’s.
See also: Five Womenswear Brands We’re Watching in 2026
Pauline Dujancourt
The devil is in the detail for Pauline Dujancourt. The French designer (who now lives in London) taught herself to hand knit before eventually specializing in knitwear during her Fashion and Textile design degree at École Duperré. In 2024, she was one of the finalists for the prestigious LVMH Prize.
Her brand launched in 2022, and has since got the industry’s attention for sensual silhouettes which blend knitting techniques with woven strips, resulting in movement-orientated fabric. Pauline Dujancourt dresses have a soft whimsical air to them that’s both romantic and gothic.
