London SS27: Five Houses That Sparked The Conversation

London Fashion Week SS27 ran from September 17 to 21. Alexander McQueen returned to the London schedule for the first time in 25 years, Christopher Kane presented his first collection for Mulberry, and several established houses used the week to push their signatures in slightly different directions.

There wasn't one trend defining the season. Instead, the collections that stood out were the ones with a clear identity and enough detail to keep things interesting. These were five houses that sparked the conversation.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen returned to London for the first time since 2001, when the house moved its runway to Paris. Seán McGirr staged the show at Lincoln's Inn Chapel, giving the collection a setting that suited the darker side of the house.

The clothes played with contrast. Sharp tailoring came with exaggerated shoulders and strong proportions, while lacquered satin, smoked tulle, metal and floral lace softened some of the harder pieces.

Dresses were layered with tulle and enamelled metal leaf patterns, while plastic structures replaced traditional boning. Silver body harnesses appeared over satin gowns, and skull motifs and Shaun Leane jewellery brought back familiar McQueen references without simply repeating the archive.

There were also references to London nightlife and rave culture, mixed into the tailoring and eveningwear rather than treated as a separate theme.

McGirr is still working out his version of McQueen, but this collection felt more connected to the house's history without becoming dependent on it.

Mulberry

Christopher Kane's first collection for Mulberry was one of the week's most anticipated debuts. It also marked his return to the runway after closing his own label in 2023.

Titled City, Town, Country, the collection started with leather, one of Mulberry's most recognisable materials, and brought it directly into the clothes. Paper-thin leather dresses and skirts came in mushroom grey, straw brown and milky white.

The bags were also reworked through new proportions, including shapes inspired by an axe blade, while Mulberry's hardware appeared throughout the collection.

Kane then pushed things further with clear plastic raincoats, oversized rugby shirts, elongated parkas and harness details.

The collection still felt like Mulberry, but Kane's hand was obvious. Rather than treating the house's heritage as something that couldn't be touched, he used it as a starting point.

Simone Rocha

Simone Rocha based her SS27 collection on Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ, the Baroque painting rediscovered in Dublin in 1990.

The reference came through the colours and materials as much as the clothes themselves. Deep blue, burgundy, charcoal and ivory ran through velvet coats, lace pieces and sheer gowns.

Stiffened collars gave some of the coats a more structured shape, while corsetry and layered fabrics added weight to the collection. Elsewhere, lace negligees and sheer dresses were covered in delicate beading, with silk roses appearing around necklines and across taffeta pieces.

The collection felt darker than some of Rocha's previous work, but the language was still recognisable. Romance, historical references, corsetry and delicate decoration remained at the centre of it.

After fifteen years on the London schedule, Rocha doesn't need to completely change direction every season. Here, the existing language was simply pushed somewhere slightly darker.

Burberry

Burberry closed London Fashion Week with Daniel Lee continuing to build the house around its most recognisable codes.

Trench coats, plaid scarves, rain boots and outerwear were all present, but the styling felt less polished than some of the house's more traditional interpretations. Lee also collaborated with British textile designer Celia Birtwell, whose floral prints appeared throughout the collection.

The clothes mixed loose tailoring with printed pieces, layered textures and more relaxed outerwear. Birtwell's colourful florals also brought a different energy to Burberry's familiar palette.

Rather than trying to create another completely new identity for the house, Lee is becoming more comfortable with the existing one.

The trench, the check, the scarf and the British references are still there. They just don't look quite as pristine as before.

Chopova Lowena

Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons staged their SS27 show at Bloomsbury Lanes bowling alley, using Slavic folklore, bowling and their usual mix of sporty and romantic references as the starting point.

The clothes combined Polish and Bulgarian folk influences with modular aprons, faux fur, towelling, carabiner skirts, bias-cut dresses and sporty outerwear.

Bowling also made its way into the silhouettes. Big circle skirts, drop waists and bomber jackets referenced 1950s bowling clothes, with the collection drawing partly from Marion Ladewig, the professional bowler who became one of the sport's early female stars.

The styling was deliberately playful, but there was plenty happening in the clothes themselves. Folk references were mixed with technical pieces, fitted dresses and the hardware-heavy accessories that have become part of Chopova Lowena's vocabulary.

It was busy, but not random. The collection made sense within the world the designers have been building for several seasons.

After London

London SS27 didn't have one defining trend, and the strongest collections didn't really need one.

McQueen continued developing Seán McGirr's direction for the house. Christopher Kane gave Mulberry a new starting point. Simone Rocha pushed her romantic language further, while Burberry continued refining its core codes. Chopova Lowena stayed playful without losing the clothes underneath it.

That's London done for another season.

Milan is next, followed by Paris, as SS27 continues.