LONDON FASHION WEEK A/W 2026

by Cecile Paul · Published February 25, 2026 · Updated February 25, 2026

TEMPERLEY LONDON, ERDEM, EMILIA WICKSTEAD, SIMONE ROCHA and BURBERRY

With Vintage-Inspired Escapism at ERDEM, Hollywood Glam at TEMPERLEY LONDON and Celtic Myths at SIMONE ROCHA, London Fashion Week Heralded in an Era of Great Promise.

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At Simone Rocha

Image Credit London Fashion Week and WWD

There was a definite aura of cautious optimism about London Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026, as if a much-needed corner has been turned this season after a number of years where the ground felt somewhat less firm. We’re indeed delighted to report that London Fashion Week felt far more robust than it did over the past few seasons!

With an uptick of 10 percent in the number of live participants and runway shows as compared to last season (41 runway shows and 20 presentations for Fall 2026) it seems the iconic London fashion scene is steadily regaining its old momentum – albeit with the help of the ‘removal of participation fees and the encouragement of new formats’.

It does indeed make sense that an approach that focuses on in-person meetups between designers and buyers has proven to be a success story, where building long-term relationships in the industry became the key focus. This seems to have heralded in a new and exciting direction in facilitating participation, especially from new talent.

The full British fashion spectrum was represented this time around – from avant-garde debuts by St Martins’ students to the confident offerings of a handful of the old guard– the likes of Erdem (who celebrated their 20^th anniversary), Simone Rocha, Temperley London, Emilia Wickstead and the quintessentially Brit brand Burberry, who concluded the shows in rock-chic-leather-and-fur-style. Legendary colourist designer Roksanda presented a dinner event this season instead of a show.

We invite you to pause to peruse our picks from our favourite London Fashion Week designers… before the fashion rollercoaster moves southwards to Milan.

TEMPERLEY LONDON

Think Hollywood goddesses Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich of the Thirties and Forties, and you’ve nailed the latest Temperley London offering.

Famous for its feminine vibes, signature sequins and beading, and elegant silhouettes, Temperley London wowed with a collection that transported one right back to the most glamorous era of the silver screen, with a bevy of beauties in drop-dead gorgeous gowns topped with the regal leopard skin fur coat.

Fluted sleeves, nipped-in-the-waist skirts, cut-out shoulders and empire-line busts were fashioned in delicious art deco-esque pastels, juxtaposed with shiny black accents. The intricacy of all the details together with the ingenious use of colour, was easily as impressive as the tailoring – which was as masterful as ever.

Sequinned palm motifs, exquisite embroidery, ornate beading, stylised flower motifs and oversized rhinestones embellished the brand’s signature sleek and glamorous frocks. Strappy heels and dainty boots completed the looks.

And the obligatory layer completing the already uber-glam offerings? The inimitable leopard patterned fur coat, what else?

At Temperley London

ERDEM

Watch ERDEM’s Show here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PathOlFX1Eo

The House of Erdem is 20 years old. To celebrate the auspicious occasion Erdem Moralioglu delivered more of what we’ve adored season after season, a kind of patchwork quilt of all the signature elements that have characterised one of the most beloved British brands of the past two decades. Oodles of pure, theatrical, romantic, vintage-inspired escapism.

The silks and satins, the brocade and velour, the 1950’s-inspired floral patterns and silhouettes, the embroidered lace, crinoline hooped skirts, the signature bows, opera coats and epic ballgowns were all part of the vernacular of this extra-special Fall 2026 anniversary offering.

The looks reminded one of the various epic, historical characters who have featured in the romance of the Erdem story over the years – writers, poets, singers, dancers, aristocracy… all befittingly kitted out in pannier dresses, bustieres, full skirts and feather coats.

Of course the brand’s signature diamond brooches, rhinestones, floaty tulle underskirts and ribboned regalia featured, too.

What did come as a surprise – and great contrast to all the dreamy romanticism – were the denim jeans and boyish black shoes!

This was a fully befitting fairy-tale edition of a brand that has always offered the ultimate and an unadulterated escape into a world of pure fantasy, often of a historic kind.

One can’t help but wonder what lavish decadence Moralioglu Erdem is already conjuring up for next year this time, when his beloved brand officially becomes ‘an adult’?

At Erdem

EMILIA WICKSTEAD

Emilia Wickstead’s Fall 2026 muse was Fano Messan, a French actress who pretended to be a man in order for her to become a sculptor in the 1920s.

And so the stage was set for a collection that drew on menswear in all its guises.

Workwear shirts with ‘practical’, large buttons and oversized pockets, typical men’s plaid and check trousers in rather muted shades and fisherman’s knit cardigans projected an androgynous style that is quite unlike anything we see as a rule in the Emilia Wickstead vernacular.

Having said that, the collection quickly progressed into the most exquisitely cut, nipped-in-the-waist gowns with voluminous pleats, generously full skirts and neat little leather pencil suits.

Fabric-wise, the collection matured into jaw-droppingly sculptural silver brocade gowns and sleeveless gold lame dresses, dripping with embellishments.

The progression from rather drab colours and manly styles to the overtly feminine silhouettes and accompanying fabric choices is testament to the design genius of Emilia Wickstead, who seems to effortlessly turn her hand to any design challenge and pull off a stroke of pure magic – all in one thought-provoking collection.

At Emilia Wickstead

SIMONE ROCHA

Watch Simone Rocha’s Show here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lpOtrOAKQ4o

Simone Rocha is one of those designers whose brand identity is so strong that it’s almost impossible to confuse her style with anyone else’s. And yet, she manages to add delightful surprises to her signature silhouettes every season.

Simone Rocha, who typically finds her inspiration in Irish folklore and Celtic mythology, drew on Enbar, the white horse that is the only form of transport to the ‘Land of Youth’ or Tir na nog.

Furthermore, Irish painter Jack B. Yeats was her inspiration for the colour palette in the collection.

Two other sources, the 1992 film Into the West, as well as the 1999 book Pony Kids, which illustrate the relationships between Irish travelling communities and their horses, further set the tone for an equestrian saga beautifully depicted by Simone Rocha.

And here is where the new collaboration with sportwear label Adidas comes in: the marriage of equestrian pursuits and sporty clothes makes so much sense. And Rocha does this effortlessly. Take, for example the red Adidas track top worn under an epic be-ribboned ballgown. Rosettes embellish many looks, again underscoring the Adidas/equestrian theme.

As ever, Simone Rocha manages – like few others – to blend together an almost impossible patchwork of fantasy and reality.

She mixes the flimsy with the sturdy, and it all looks entirely desirable, and super wearable. Military coats and dreamy tulle worn with trainers and rhinestones looked they they’ve always belonged together.

It is perhaps this uncanny superpower that makes us return to this brand season after season, in expectation of what Simone Rocha’s incredible design brain will conjure up this time.

At Simone Rocha

BURBERRY

Watch Burberry’s Show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XGxr9Vick8

An ode to London weather! Creative director Daniel Lee cited the notoriously wet London weather (every day has been a rainy one since the start of the new year…) as an inspiration for this weather-oriented range.

The famous Burberry trench coat saw many a different iteration, including one with a particularly feminine frilly collar. In fact, trenches came in innumerable guises: leather ones, check ones, ones with fur collars… even one that depicted a vintage map of London, Thames & all.

But it wasn’t all about the trench coat – there were other garments too! Bomber jackets, track bottoms, leather pants, military coats, kilts and the most luxurious fur coats with leather belts. All looking, well, very Burberry!

In the iconic Brit brand’s 170^th year, there seems to be no stopping it. Key elements get reshuffled season after season, bits get added and bits get omitted, but it seems that the parts that make the whole are forever going to stand the test of time.

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