This year marks the 40th anniversary of London Fashion Week, a historic milestone celebrating London as a leading cultural capital and platforming the bustling creative community of the city. The W joined the bash on Sunday 15th September with its annual Fashion Week.
Oftentimes fashion events tend to exclude up-and-coming designers in favour of well-known megabrands. The same thing happens here in London, where, despite the city’s cosmopolitan reputation, the fashion and beauty scenes tend to lack diversity. By working together with retailers, community organisations, and industry leaders, The W Fashion Week aims to close this disparity and act as a catalyst for change.
As The W’s Editor-in-Chief, Phadria Antoinette Prendergast works tirelessly to platform national and international companies to get recognised and highlight under-represented and underprivileged talent. The W Fashion Week is centred around the dedication to elevating the visibility of marginalised voices that are reinventing creativity and style. This year, a cohort of 28 designers—ten more than 2023—from six different countries hit The W’s runway at Mercedes-Benz World to amaze the public with their innovation and craftsmanship.
This year again The W Fashion Week boasted a star-studded group of attendees. From Prendergast herself—who was wearing Diesel and Prada—to TV personalities like Jasmine Johnson and Love Island-winner Josh Oyinsan, influencers like Balia Adare and Anisa Farah, entrepreneurs like Diamante Dawn Laiva and Samantha Harding, athletes like Wyse and Ollie Hassell-Collins, and models like Josh Legrove and Mataya Sweeting, over 500 attendees graced London’s Mercedes-Benz World. Thanks to the attendees who wowed us with their front-row-ready outfits, the show began before the runway even started!
2024 marks the biggest year yet for The W Fashion Week, with almost thirty designers and brands from all over the world showcasing their collections for a grand total of 193 looks. Liam Brandon Murray, DETARON Couture, Prudence Young, Zhania Studio, MOUF, Iman Grine, Blu Reign, Confidence by Grace, Shauna Courtney, DEFIED + Zoe Hoop Jewelry, Upsycle, Soixantethree, Gangsterus, Travel Infinite, MURMAID, HAUL, Bonifique, Bav Tailor, Rainbow Dropz, Voglia Swim, Matthew Joseph, Anko + Karina Immanuel, and ZastaStudio + ITELE are all the talented designers who presented their works at The W Fashion Week 2024.
With such a large number of brands on display, The W Fashion Show 2024 had something from everyone. Brands like Bonifique and Voglia Swimwear showed sportswear and athleisure, while Prudence Young, Zhania Studio, ZastaStudio turned heads with their avant-garde and experimental designs. Bav Tailor’s collection was inspired by holistic practices, but they weren't the only ones tapping into their heritage: Iman Grine blended modern trends with traditional elements of Moroccan culture. Matthew Joseph reflected on societal pressures through his collection No Space to Breathe while brands like Everyday Fit, MOUF, Blu Reign, Detaron Couture, Travel Infinite, Soixantethree, MURMAID, HAUL, and Gangsterus stretched the boundaries of street style and innovation. Both Anko and DEFIED showed their debut collections, the former making a case for modern minimalism and the latter tapping into 1980s nostalgia, while Shauna Courtney and Confidence by Grace showed the perfect capsule wardrobe for the modern woman. Rainbow Dropz and Upsycle brought us back to the 2020 trends of bold crochet creations and upcycled denim. Footwear was provided by ITELE, jewellery by Zoe Hoop Jewelry, and accessories by Karina Immanuel.
The W Fashion Week’s runway reflected many of the current trends we’ve been seeing during Fashion Month so far, in particular when it comes to colours and textures. Muted earthy shades and jewel tones were predominant throughout the almost 200 looks from couture to street wear: muddy greens and browns, mustard and lemon yellows, desaturated blues and pinks spanned designers and collections. Texture play was another standout feature of many designers’ works: tactile pieces in fuzzy, rugged, distressed, and scaly materials added a sensory feel to the runway. The overarching theme was a desire to incorporate an earthy and natural feel into the garments, using colour and texture to draw back to the beauty of nature.
Behind the glitz and glam of the runway show, plenty of hard-working assistants, stylists, make-up artists, and stewards, as well as The W staff, did their best to ensure another successful The W Fashion Week. Until next year!
