How to Be the Best-Dressed Strategist at LFW 2025

Hola Sugarcups, London Fashion Week Is Back and It’s Bigger Than Ever💅

Darling, if your diary isn’t already blocked out for London Fashion Week 2025, let me just say, you might want to reschedule that Pilates class. Because this season? It’s not just fashion. It’s culture, commerce, collab-heaven, and digital playgrounds rolled into one dazzling five-day spectacle. I still remember my first London Fashion Week like it was yesterday. I was a freshly minted marketing associate, standing awkwardly outside Somerset House in heels that looked chic but felt like medieval torture devices. LFW felt like an impenetrable fortress, editors glided past with invites tucked like golden tickets, PRs scurried around with clipboards, and if you weren’t someone, you weren’t getting in. Well, not a lot has changed this year though, but I’m no longer the one trying to sneak into it. I’ve been inside the boardrooms, designing strategy decks for brands who don’t just want to show clothes but want to make cultural waves. I’ve helped heritage labels collaborate with gaming platforms, luxury maisons partner with streetwear upstarts, and tech firms find their way into front rows.

And that’s why I say this with my whole heart London Fashion Week 2025 is no longer about the catwalk. It’s about partnerships, digital activations, and creating experiences that linger far longer than a 12-minute runway show.

The State of London Fashion Week in 2025: Darling, It’s Not Just a Catwalk Anymore

When I first entered this industry, Fashion Weeks were basically a members-only/invite-only setup. Now it’s a hybrid playground where IRL and URL collide beautifully. The numbers speak volumes. Over 150 designers and organisations, 50 catwalk shows, nearly 20 presentations, 64 events, and 23 digital activations. But here’s the nuance most people miss:

  • The runway is still the glittering centerpiece, but the real action is in activations and experiences.
  • Digital-first storytelling is pulling equal (sometimes more) weight than print editorials.
  • Partnerships are no longer logo-slaps but they’re becoming ecosystems.

As a consultant, I now tell clients not to measure their LFW success by whether Anna Wintour glanced their way but measure it by how their activation resonated on TikTok, how the collab created buzz on Instagram Reels, and how their pop-up built data for future CX campaigns.

Partnerships: The Secret Sauce for Brands at London Fashion Week

No brand is an island, especially not during London Fashion Week. The smartest players know that partnerships are the currency of visibility. Think of Burberry x Minecraft, Moncler x Pharrell, H&M x Perfect Magazine or last season’s unexpected hit Jellycat plush toys popping up on the runway (yes, a cuddly toy brand infiltrated the luxury calendar). That’s the kind of cultural jujitsu you want.

Why Partnerships Work

  • They expand audience reach beyond your own circle.
  • They add cultural cachet by association (luxury + playful, heritage + tech, fashion + F&B).
  • They allow you to share costs and resources… very consultant-sounding, but also very real in a post-Covid, inflation-shaped economy.

What to Avoid

  • Forced fits. (If you’re a fintech trying to “do fashion” with no creative link, re-think, queen.)
  • One-night stands. (Collabs that don’t build into long-term strategy are just noise.)
  • Over-branding. (Don’t plaster logos everywhere. Subtlety sells.)

In 2025, the rule is simple – Your partnership has to either spark joy, spark conversation, or spark innovation. Bonus points if it does all three.

Digital Activations: From Hashtags to Holograms

Before I take you through the deal of digital activations, let’s zoom out, literally. One of the most striking trends in brand storytelling this season is Oversized Marketing. Preksha Krishnan recently spotlighted this in a gorgeous LinkedIn carousel, featuring campaigns from Rhode Skin, Jacquemus, Stanley, and more. These brands are selling and scaling at the same time. Giant props, surreal proportions, and emotionally charged visuals are dominating the feed, and it’s no coincidence. It’s giving “main character energy” with strategic ROI. For marketers and CX leaders, this is your cue to go big, but make it mean something.

10 years ago, digital meant live-tweeting a runway. Cute, but basic. In 2025, digital activations are the backbone of brand visibility. I’ve had the privilege of advising brands on everything from AR pop-ups in Covent Garden to interactive livestreams, where audiences vote on styling choices in real time. And every time, the takeaway is clear – The brands who win are the ones who make consumers co-creators, not spectators.

Examples That Work:

  • Phygital exhibitions (like Barbour’s Carnaby Street archive pop-up, where a loom artist weaved heritage live).
  • UGC-driven campaigns (TikTok challenges where fans remix looks, extending runway buzz for weeks).
  • AI-powered stylists (I trialed one last season that recommended show-inspired outfits from my own wardrobe… eerie but genius).
  • Gamification (unlocking limited drops through digital challenges).

This isn’t gimmickry but is the best CX innovation wrapped in sequins.

Street Style = Free PR If You Play It Right (For Brands & Startups)

I’d be lying if I said the runway is the only stage at London Fashion Week. The street outside the venue is as valuable as the catwalk inside. Those candid snaps outside are worth millions in impressions. Street photographers have more cultural pull than some editors. So what does that mean for brands?

  • Gift pieces strategically. (Don’t spray PR drops everywhere. Seed to the right five people, not 500.)
  • Invest in statement outerwear as you ambassador for your brand and that’s the easiest way to get papped.
  • Champion British indie labels (Paul Costelloe, Harris Reed, Conner Ives). It’s social credibility currency.

Remember that street style is the runway for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Name-Dropping for London Fashion Week 2025

Okay bestie, here’s the cheat sheet of all the names that matter if you want your press release picked up or your campaign re-tweeted:

  • Designers to Watch: Harris Reed, Bora Aksu, Emilia Wickstead, Daniel Fletcher, Richard Quinn, Conner Ives, Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey for RIXO
  • Cultural Institutions: Fashion East (25 years strong), British Fashion Council’s NewGen, ICA exhibitions.
  • Celebs & Influencers Who Move the Needle: expect A-listers at Burberry, but don’t sleep on the TikTokers turning street-style videos into virality.
  • Unexpected Collab Targets: Barbour archives, F&B brands like 1664 Blanc (already active with LFW panels), and tech players in AI/AR.

Pro tip is to mention the right names at the right dinners. London is still a small village with better tailoring. Street style is earned media gold, and more now than forever, it’s non-negotiable.

What LFW Means To Me As A Consultant

Now, sugarcups, let’s slip into my everyday and analyse the London Fashion Week 2025 for a hot minute. Because no CMO signs off on a £500k LFW spend without a neat Excel showing ROI.

Metrics That Matter in 2025:

  • Earned Media Value (EMV) is your new North Star.
  • Engagement vs. Reach, you don’t chase vanity numbers, you chase interaction.
  • Conversion from Social to E-Com, time to live-link shopping and it has to be frictionless.
  • Sentiment Analysis, because vibes are data now.

The smartest brands I advise start with intent-based KPIs (awareness vs. conversion vs. credibility) and reverse-engineer activations. That way, you don’t end up with a flashy hologram that looked cool but sold zero skirts.

Trends You Can’t Ignore (and How to Hijack Them for Content)

Runway-wise, LFW Spring/Summer 2026 is rich with trends. Icy blues, florals, fringe, dramatic silhouettes. Now, you don’t need to sell dresses to hijack these trends. Use them in visual identity, campaign styling, event design, even UI themes for your digital activations. 

  • A fintech sponsor could launch a limited icy-blue debit card skin.
  • A beauty brand could fringe its pop-up design.
  • A hotel partner could create floral cocktail menus tied to trending designers.

This is where CX meets creativity. Hijack cultural signals, but make them your own.

How to Activate Your Brand Smartly

AI stylists, VR catwalks, digital twins, what was hype in 2022 is table stakes now. Now, the edge comes from integration, not novelty.

  • AR mirrors at pop-ups, so visitors can “try” archived looks.
  • Predictive AI to anticipate trending looks and adjust content in real-time.
  • Social SEO is for optimising TikTok captions, Insta carousels, YouTube Shorts for Google discoverability. (Yes, SEO has gone social, bestie.)

The fashion houses that win are the ones using tech to enhance story, not replace it.

Conclusion: So, Darling, What’s Your Game Plan?

London Fashion Week 2025 isn’t only for the fashion elite anymore. It’s the most powerful brand exhibit happening across all industries. If you’re strategic, if you’re bold, and if you’re willing to mix a little glitter with your spreadsheets, you’ll not only be seen, but you’ll be remembered (forever!, or almost forever). Because in the end, partnerships fade, parties blur, and trends evolve… but how your brand shows up during Fashion Week? That sticks.

For brands, the lesson is clear, you don’t attend Fashion Week; you activate at Fashion Week. Do it right, and you don’t just join the conversation. You lead it.

And isn’t that what fashion and business are all about?

Until next time

Love,

Jasmin

FAQs (Because You’ll Ask Anyway)

Q: What is the best way for luxury/sustainable brands to partner during London Fashion Week?
A: Look for synergy, not just status. Cross-sector collabs (luxury/sustainability x tech, fashion x lifestyle) are killing it.

Q: How can brands use digital activations to maximise reach at LFW 2025?
A: Lean into interactivity like AR, live shopping, gamified drops. It’s not about showing, it’s about involving.

Q: Which emerging designers are best for collaborations in London Fashion Week?
A: Conner Ives, Dilara FindikoÄźlu, SS Daley, Aaron Esh, the new guard with authentic Gen Z pull.

Q: How do you measure ROI for brand activations at fashion weeks?
A: Track EMV, engagement, conversion, sentiment. Build dashboards before the confetti hits the floor.

Q: How do brands get invited to London Fashion Week events?
A: Pitch, RSVP, and partner. The BFC’s City-Wide Celebration also gives openings for non-fashion brands.