Four Emerging Designers Told Us What It Takes To Start a Brand in 2026
Pauline Dujancourt, Masha Popova, Clara Chu and AGRO STUDIO share how much it costs and how to get on the official fashion week schedule.
Fashion week in the big smoke is all about subversive designs and emerging talent. The Fall/Winter 2026 season in London is now officially over, and it delivered on all fronts.
This season, we saw AGRO STUDIO present a wilderness-inspired collection complete with Icelandic sheepskin and hand-dyed fabrics. Clara Chu made he LFW debut, showcasing a collection inspired by the elastic band, while Pauline Dujancourt staged an ethereal runway show where models walked on eggshells, literally. This season also marked Masha Popova‘s first show on the schedule since graduating from NewGen.
We caught up with the four emerging designers to hear how they got themselves on the official schedule, how much money it took and the advice they’d like to share. Read on for the full interview.
Pauline Dujancourt
Who are you, and how did you get into the industry?
AGRO STUDIO: We’re George and Angus, our initials come together to create the brand name. We both came into fashion through similar routes, even though we graduated from the London College of Fashion a few years apart. After university, we spent a long time working across different parts of the industry without any clear sense of when things would properly come together. We worked in film and TV, assisted stylists, took on production and fashion jobs and did commercial projects alongside our own work. It wasn’t about chasing a big break, just building experience.
After COVID, we put that focus into AGRO. We started with custom pieces, especially for performers and VIP clients, and developed our own visual language from there.
Clara Chu: I’m a London-based accessories designer born in Hong Kong. My work focuses on transforming everyday household objects into wearable accessories. I trained in womenswear and accessories, but throughout my studies I was always experimenting beyond traditional fashion, making sculptures, furniture and working with references that weren’t necessarily fashion-related, but more in product design and everyday objects.
I wanted to continue exploring that language, so I started my brand as a way to foster the DIY culture and create pieces that feel relatable with components people recognise from everyday life.
Masha Popova: I’m a London-based designer, and my practice is all about technique and materials, turning everyday staples into something distinctive through fabrication and construction. I initially studied architecture, and I loved it, but I wanted something more hands-on, a medium that felt more expressive, faster-paced and where I could actually make things with my own hands.
I wasn’t someone who always planned to go into fashion, but I was always drawn to how people express themselves through clothes. I also noticed how much more confident I felt when I dressed a certain way. Fashion felt immediate and emotional, and it gave me a way to build a world around an idea while still being grounded in craft.
Pauline Dujancourt: I have creative parents who always taught me how to grow creatively. I was initially really focused on doing theatre, and then I landed on fashion and loved it. I moved to London [from France] because I wanted to work with London Fashion Week designers as I thought they were cool, emerging and more experimental.
Clara Chu
How did you get on the LFW schedule?
AS: We waited until we felt ready. When we applied to the British Fashion Council (BFC) schedule, we already had a strong body of work, a small team and experience delivering complex projects. We were accepted the first time around, which we think came from not rushing the process. By that point, we understood the creative, financial and logistical demands of showing at that level.
CC: I applied through the BFC and felt this was the right moment to officially debut the collection. As a brand, we’ve been working across a variety of projects from installations to educational initiatives alongside developing products, so showing at LFW felt like a natural progression and the right platform to bring everything together.
MP: I graduated during Covid and applied for a Discovery Lab because I honestly just needed a reason to keep making clothes after university, with a deadline to work towards. It was perfect timing because everyone, including the big houses, could only show digitally, so we were all in the same situation. I created a small set of new looks and shot them as a digital presentation.
Within a week, several shops, including Ssense and H. Lorenzo, reached out to buy the collection. To produce it, I moved to Ukraine, set up a studio and worked from there. In 2022, I applied for BFC NewGen and was selected. That winter, the full-scale Russian invasion began, and I had to leave everything behind and move back to the UK. That September, I showed my first full runway collection on the official London Fashion Week schedule for SS23.
PD: I applied to NewGen and received support from the BFC. After that, the brand started to grow, and we had more of a retail presence, gaining exposure. It was so important for me to create the brand world, the music, atmosphere, and light, etc., so runways were a way for me to tell this story entirely through the set. On that note, all the garments are named after the women who worked on the collection; their work is so amazing, and I wanted to pay tribute to them.
Masha Popova
How much money do you need to start a fashion brand?
AS: We began without any external investment. We made all the pieces ourselves. Our parents weren’t in a position to put money into the business, so everything came from working other jobs and reinvesting it into materials and equipment. There were some genuinely scary months where we weren’t sure if we’d be able to pay the rent.
CC: After graduating from the Royal College of Art, I entered a few competitions and won an accessories award of £10,000, which I used to officially launch the brand. In the first couple of years, I never stopped applying for grants, support schemes and funding opportunities.
PD: I think it’s not about money. Obviously, you need to have a little bit, let’s face it, but I think when you first start, that’s also how you get really creative. I think we never have enough, so use what you have and make the most out of it!
AGRO Studios
What advice would you give to a designer starting today with no money or connections?
AS: Say yes to as much as you reasonably can at the beginning. We didn’t hold our personal aesthetics too close at the start; that’s not for everyone. We built the contacts and the foundation first, and then narrowed down the types of jobs we said yes to down the line. For almost three years, we barely turned anything down. Working on very different projects taught us how the industry functions, from production to budgets to client relationships.
Take every job seriously, be reliable and communicate clearly. Those things matter more than people think. You’ll mess up, and that’s fine. Progress isn’t always visible, but the work adds up. Nothing worth having is handed to you on a plate.
CC: Just put yourself out there and reach out to people. Go to events where you can meet like-minded creatives to learn from each other or bring each other together. I’ve met photographers and stylists I’ve worked with for years at bars or events. Staying connected and building genuine and long-term relationships isn’t only fun but essential.
MP: First of all, it’s hard, but not impossible. Surround yourself with people whose work you admire, and who admire yours too. Most people in the industry know how tough it is, and a lot of them will support you if you’re serious and consistent. You need a community and a team. It’s almost impossible to do it completely on your own. Also, don’t compare yourself to other people’s stories; everyone’s journey is different. Focus on finding your voice. A strong point of view is often more powerful than deep pockets. You can do great things with very little money if you have the right people around you who believe in you. And don’t get discouraged if things move more slowly because you don’t have funding.
PD: Get experience, work for others, look around and try different jobs. You can observe how you’re being managed as an employee and what it’s like to work in a team, so if you start your own brand, it will feel a little bit more natural. I often think back to being an intern, as I have my own studio intern now, and I think, “Oh, that’s how they must see it!” I’m so glad I gained these experiences because I don’t think I would be able to sustain the brand otherwise. We train as creatives, we don’t train as business people, so we have to learn on the job, which is exciting!
