The British Fashion Council holds London Fashion Week from Thursday 17 to Monday 21 September 2026, hubbed at 180 The Strand.
The British Fashion Council inaugurated London Fashion Week in 1984, at a point when British designers were selling abroad through Paris and Milan because London had no schedule of its own. It has run twice a year since, and it now draws over 5,000 press and buyers into the city for five days. London’s particular claim within the four cities is the new name: the week is where careers begin, and the Council’s NEWGEN scheme funds and stages the first collections of designers who could not otherwise afford a runway.
That emphasis shapes what a visitor can reach. The runway shows themselves are closed to all but press, buyers and guests of the house, so the week meets the public through exhibitions, installations, dinners and the parties the houses build around their shows. The schedule is published shortly before the week opens and is the only place the private side of it leaves a public trace.
The September 2026 season runs from Thursday 17 to Monday 21 September, with 180 The Strand as the official hub. It carries the Council’s own show space and the NEWGEN schedule, while the rest of the season takes rooms across the West End. Autumn is the larger of the two seasons, showing the following spring and summer collections. The Council has run the week for the London Development Agency and with government support since its earliest years.