How Emerging Designers Took Over London Fashion Week SS24

London Fashion Week is all wrapped up. Bringing a reinvigorated sense of excitement to the British capital before summer’s end, the five-day occasion saw crowds tour the city to glimpse new collections from emerging and established designers. LFW brought a buzz back to the Big Smoke for Spring/Summer 2024, putting London back on the map after a dry menswear season in June. The SS24 calendar was filled with newcomers looking to position themselves as ones to watch, becoming the largest debut season in recent years.

From Skepta’s MAINS line to HARRI’s swollen menswear, first-time designers undoubtedly stole the show. Hypebeast had a front-row seat to experience everything in action, taking a closer look at the co-ed runways that got people talking.

Year after year, the British Fashion Council champions new designers by giving them the funds and access to succeed on local runways, having previously ignited the careers of Alexander McQueen, Kim Jones, Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, and more. Earlier this summer, the BFC’s NEWGEN initiatives enlisted 22 designers to show under its expansive roaster, including AARON ESH, Ancuta Sarca, Chet Lo, Connor Ives, Derrick, Di Petsa, EFTYCHIA, and FEBEN.

Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East stood firm for SS24, welcoming Olly Shinder to show his first runway collection at Bloomsbury army facility, Yeomanry House. The menswear designer was informed by British queer culture and ultra-modern digital landscapes, communicated across rave-ready uniforms to dance the night away. Slitted T-shirts with open zippers allowed a peek at the skin beneath, while gingham-style shirting and utility bottoms landed on the runway with red checkered patterns. The designer’s military identity was portrayed across roughed-up cargo pants and striped nylon outerwear, taking a proud bow to mark his debut.

Indian designer Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai joined BFC NEWGEN with full support from industry insiders, anticipating his big day packed with swollen attire. His runway show at The Old Selfridges Hotel was met with roaring praise, presenting his “CHAPTER THREE: TEXTURE & MOVEMENT” collection with film-inspired motifs and an ethereal environment. HARRI’s four-dimensional garments broke into majestic dance movements, seeing his strong-shouldered and bulbous design language take shape through supernatural displays.

British rapper Skepta welcomed bustling streetwear crowds into an intimate venue miming a tennis court, featuring a playing net in the center. Skepta’s MAINS London has been teased left, right, and center, seeing his first full collection come to life before our very eyes. A$AP Ferg, Matthew Williams, Naomi Campbell, Clint419, and Stormzy attended the star-studded event, unveiling Beats, New Era, PUMA, EMMANUELLE KHANH, and Timberland collaborations on the runway. The “one-of-a-kind MAINS experience” reevaluated traditional streetwear archetypes in elevated formats, seeing two-toned tracksuits complement silver-foiled uniforms and graphic tennis knitwear. Denim reigned supreme across the SS24 collection, dominated by blue jean jackets with asymmetrical pockets and “M” contrast stitching. The wearable collection gave us a look at what’s to come, cementing Skepta in the UK fashion landscape.

Finally, AARON ESH closed London Fashion Week with a bang, staging his grandiose debut at London’s Tate Modern Museum. The British designer unleashed “Chaos and Control” across a delicate co-ed range, merging the “rigor of Savile Row tailoring with the spirit of British subcultures.” Esh combined British ideals and Parisian elegance into a sleek collection for the next generation of fashion lovers, bringing a genderless approach to the London Fashion Week schedule.

While London’s usual big names, including JW Anderson, Burberry, and Simone Rocha, presented independently, emerging talent stole our hearts with their unmatched creativity. The world’s biggest heavyweights in Milan and Paris may be up next on the calendar, but LFW SS24 cemented the British capital’s status as one of the world’s most culturally pioneering cities.

Elsewhere, take a look at the best street style from London Fashion Week.