7 Emerging Designers to Watch From London Fashion Week FW25
From Sól Hansdóttir to BLOKE.
The next iteration of London Fashion Week is finally here, off the back of an impressive season in New York, Berlin and Copenhagen. Often, the schedule is packed with big names like Burberry and Simone Rocha who of course, put on incredible shows with star-studded guest lists but each season, it’s the emerging designers who really excite and innovate.
Each season, the schedule features several incredibly talented rising stars showcasing fashion week presentations and making their runway debuts, and already — we know exactly who we’ve got our eyes on. Fashion East is always a good indicator of rising talent, as each season it showcases three up-and-coming names who often go on to debut solo runway shows. This season, its roster included menswear label NUBA — based in South London with Afro-Caribbean and West African influences — along with unisex brand LOUTHER, founded in 2018 by Olympia Schiele.
Elsewhere, we saw Georgian label KEBURIA return to the schedule this season, famed for its political messaging and approach to activism, along with BLOKE — the new London-based, Nigerian heritage brand founded in Lagos.
Read on to find out more about the six emerging designers to keep on your radar this FW25 season.
Grete Henriette
Grete Henriette presented her debut runway show this season at LFW, transporting the audience to “a mythical realm.” One for fans of Di Petsa and Dilara Findikoglu, the rising designer takes inspiration from divine femininity and the concept of natural beauty. For her debut showcase, “Elysium,” the designer enlisted some of London’s coolest names for an immersive showcase that celebrated connection, community and rebirth. Reimagining this season’s models as ethereal figures, the mystical collection showcased figure-hugging crochet, beading and draping.
Sól Hansdóttir
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London-based, Icelandic designer Sól Hansdóttir creates architectural garments crafted from 100% deadstock fabrics. Presenting her second-ever collection at LFW this season, Hansdóttir will showcase the follow-up to her SS25 season, which debuted in Copenhagen as part of its NEWTALENT initiative. Previously, the designer received the L’Oreal Creative Scholarship for her Central Saint Martins MA graduate collection which further proves — she’s one to watch this season.
Talia Byre
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Similarly, Talia Byre‘s founder, Talia Lipkin-Connor also graduated from CSM back in 2020 before starting her namesake label. Inspired by family heirlooms and the concept of community, Lipkin-Connor’s brand favors themes of sensuality, femininity and timelessness. Taking its name from her great uncle’s former Liverpool-based boutique, Lucinda Byre, the brand hopes to promote fashion as a vehicle for storytelling, encouraging its wearers to re-use and repair for years to come.
KEBURIA
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Georgian label KEBURIA, founded by George Keburia, was founded back in 2015 and as a result, is probably one of the more established names in this list. Despite that, the brand hasn’t been a fashion week mainstay but makes a triumphant return to the runway for the FW25 season. Known for its politically charged collections that empower women, the brand favors a surrealist approach to fashion design and often merges masculine and feminine elements with hints of the absurd.
BLOKE
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BLOKE was also founded in 2015, by Faith Oluwajimi in Lagos. Based in London, the brand leans into its Nigerian heritage to create collections that tribute craftsmanship and culture. Aiming to represent and champion a “more diverse and inclusive fashion industry,” the brand merges its sustainable ethos with a luxury lens, often addressing the specific needs of West Africa through its collections. Exploring issues like textile waste, the brand looks to preserve Nigeria’s textile heritage and traditional techniques through a contemporary lens.
LOUTHER
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LOUTHER was founded in 2018 by Olympia Schiele — who is also a menswear designer for Corteiz. Inspired by the “tenacious spirit of London,” the brand is known for its baggy silhouettes and skate culture influence. Inspired by Schiele’s formative years and subsequent immersion in skate culture, the brand upcycles deadstock pieces resulting in distinctive shirts, sweaters, pants and jackets. Sold in limited quantities in London, the brand follows a sustainable production process utilizing environmentally conscious materials.
NUBA
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The menswear label Nuba was co-founded in South London by Cameron Williams and Jebi Labembika. Drawing on the founders’ Afro-Caribbean and West African heritage, the brand blends its cultural heritage with a “youthful, reverent perspective,” resulting in contemporary silhouettes with a cultural twist. Taking inspiration from the garments worn by their mothers and fathers, the brand’s collections actively chart these evolutions and adaptations of traditional silhouettes, showcasing fashion as a form of resilience. Embracing “unfinished-ness,” Nuba’s clothing aims to represent the journey of a “youthful foreign body traversing an exterior environment, foreign to their home language.”
