4 Brands That Made Headlines at LFW SS27

This Spring/Summer 2027 London Fashion Week was a season overflowing with clear "narratives."

From a house returning to its hometown of London after 25 years, to a heritage brand back on the runway after nine years, to a designer who deconstructed her own signature grammar, and a cult brand that added freshness to the runway with a witty lifestyle collaboration.

Through four scenes, a return, a debut, a transformation, and a viral moment, we look at the landscape of the fashion industry and the practical implications buyers should keep in mind.

Alexander McQueen

Runway Spotlight
This was Seán McGirr's first show in London and the house's official return to LFW for the first time in 25 years, since 2001. Presenting combined menswear and womenswear collections, it put London's distinctive textures and details front and center. Following his debut season (The Birds) and last season (Banshee), McGirr continued his pilgrimage through Lee Alexander McQueen's archive, raising the level of polish.

Where the Brand Stands
This return is not simple nostalgia marketing. According to Morgan Stanley and industry estimates, McQueen's revenue plunged from about €830 million in 2022 to under €200 million last year, and the brand has been going through losses and restructuring. Carried out under new CEO Gianfranco D'Attis, formerly of Prada, this return is a carefully calculated bet aimed at a turnaround on a home stage where it can dominate the buzz.

💡 BUYER READOUT
The commercial assessment of this collection and the new leadership's distribution policy will be key leading indicators in determining SS27 buying and orders.

Mulberry

Runway Spotlight
This marked Mulberry's return to the runway after nine years and the debut of designer Christopher Kane. Kane drew an "axe" motif from founder Roger Saul's mulberry tree and early leatherwork, turning it into products such as the "Chop Bag" and axe-shaped heels, and reissued a 1980s raincoat in its original form.

Where the Brand Stands
Based on its "Back to the Mulberry Spirit" strategy of returning to British craft, the brand is aiming for medium-term annual revenue of more than £200 million. For Kane, whose own label went into administration in 2023, it also became a powerful stage for a career reset.

💡 BUYER READOUT
The "Chop Bag" unveiled at this show is considered the only new hero bag candidate of LFW SS27. As a storytelling-driven bag distinct from the likes of Coach's Tabby, it's well worth monitoring demand response in the accessible luxury market before its actual release next January.

Simone Rocha

Runway Spotlight
Simone Rocha's show ("I Was Trying To Love You"), held at the Central Criminal Court, expressed "vulnerability rather than protection" through sheer dresses, open leather jackets, and exposed underwear, instead of the brand's existing signatures of full volume and layering. Rather than perfect styling, it conveyed an individuality, as if each look had been adjusted by the wearer's own hand.

Where the Brand Stands
Nominated for "Designer of the Year" at November's Fashion Awards and standing at the peak of her career, Simone Rocha took the bold step of breaking her own distinctive aesthetic grammar.

💡 BUYER READOUT
Following the "undressing" aesthetic Khaite showed at New York Fashion Week, natural, "half-dressed" styling has established itself as a shared New York–London trend this season.

Chopova Lowena

Runway Spotlight
At the show, held in a bowling alley, dogs wearing parachutes made as part of a pet insurance campaign took the stage alongside neon green airbag puffers and carabiner kilt skirts. The moment one parachute-wearing dog stopped in front of the runway gutter and brought the show to a halt became the most viral meme of this fashion week.

Where the Brand Stands
Chopova Lowena, which has built a singular fandom by combining traditional Bulgarian textiles with punk hardware, ran its first offline retail experiment alongside the show, opening a three-day pop-up ("East London Clubhouse") in East London during the week.

💡 BUYER READOUT
Because the pet-related viral moment is separate from the cult premium of the brand's core products, it has created safe momentum in which buzz doesn't dilute brand value. Its first direct retail experiment is worth tracking as an early signal of future changes in its wholesale distribution policy.

💡 EDITORIAL SMALL TALK

At this London Fashion Week, the four brands each put on stage their city, their founder's archive, the breaking of their own aesthetics, and the most personal parts of everyday life. Instead of spectacles fueled by huge budgets, they generated buzz through the density of their narratives, and that buzz landed perfectly as "buyable products": the Chop Bag, sheer dresses, and carabiner skirts. London remains the most vivid and compelling stage for turning stories into business products.