Meet the Emerging Designers in London Revolutionizing the Industry
A Canadian designer and more from abroad seen at London Fashion Week.
Edeline Lee
Amid the diverse talent showcased during the recent fashion week month—both established and emerging—it’s the new designers navigating the industry that catch our attention. London stands out as the playground (some may say a capital) for emerging talent, and thanks to the Newgen initiative by the British Fashion Council, there is much to keep an eye on here.
Here, we’ve highlighted emerging designers experimenting with new methodologies, techniques, and visions to keep an eye on.
Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, fashion designer has always been a favourite on the London Fashion Week schedule. For autumn/winter 2025, Lee created a collection entitled Warriorhood, honouring the powerful women in her life.
“In my experience, women don’t fight each other, we train each other to fight, we share our knowledge and experience,” she says. This manifests as a calm breakfast, which is then chaotically interrupted by the presence of two women fighters. As they duel, tasselled fabric sways over their tailored skirts, revealing their limbs in sleek black dresses with sharp, vintage cuts.
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An emerging London Fashion Week darling, this season, Byre explored the shape of life and the essence of personality through character-driven dressing. This reveals itself as an energetic and emotionally fueled collection—think pieces that sit low on the hips or are cut with precision to mould and move with the body.
Intended to make an impression, Byre’s collection is an ode to individuals who exude personality and prefer to showcase it through clothing.
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With training experience from the design studios of J.W. Anderson, Maison Margiela, and Celine, British-Nigerian designer and multidisciplinary artist Tolu Coker consistently pushes the boundaries between fashion, art, and storytelling, establishing a unique voice in contemporary design.
This season, Coker presented ORI – Upon Reflection to explore the boundaries of fashion by reflecting on the past, present, and future. Drawing from Yoruba spirituality, a traditional West African practice, and its diasporic migration, the collection examines dress as a ritual. It addresses how clothing holds memory and acts as an extension of oneself or a means for storytelling. “Clothes are not simply garments – they are archives of memory, carriers of culture, and markers of identity,” Coker says.
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Sinead Gorey has combined two vices, fashion and fast food, in a runway show featuring KFC takeaway bags and burgers alongside bustier dresses, lace, capes, corsets and suits.
Inspired by the ‘walk of shame’ Gorey reclaims that archetype with mish-mashed styling, lipstick kiss marks adorning models and garments, and Converse stiletto heels. Models stride with conviction down the runway with cigarettes in hand, demonstrating that the brand still remains unapologetically punk.
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Sól Hansdóttir
A womenswear label by the Icelandic designer Sól Hansdóttir embodies a fluid approach to design, championing innovative concepts of beauty, adornment, and dressing. with a self-proclaimed anti-disciplinary mindset.
Hansdóttir made her mark with her L’Oreal Creative Scholarship-awarded Central Saint Martins MA graduate collection “Three Theories of Evil” and participation in Copenhagen Fashion Week through the Newtalent initiative.
At its core, the brand exemplifies resourcefulness, sourcing eco-friendly materials, including local Icelandic handcrafts and end-of-life fabrics, transforming them into functional items—unlocking alternative textile solutions through an unconventional lens. For this collection, Hansdóttir developed intricate techniques centred on the concepts of display and documentation. Here, wool is hidden between layers of organza, while organza is hand-stitched over jersey, enveloping two colliding worlds.
