London Fashion Week has a noticeably pared-back schedule this season, as economic uncertainty, shifting brand priorities and a decline in sponsorships continue to reshape the fashion calendar. To showcase their seasonal collections, a growing number of designers are stepping away from traditional runway formats in favor of more intimate and immersive experiences.
Patrick McDowell is among the designers who opted out of a physical show this season, instead hosting an intimate dinner on the rooftop of Soho’s Aqua Nueva restaurant, in partnership with mycelium innovation company Ecovative. For McDowell, the decision was as much a creative rethinking as it was a financial necessity.
“Shows are very expensive,” he told Glossy. “You can do a show on a shoestring for £30,000 ($38,000), but even then, you’re calling in a lot of favors. Big brands might spend millions. And right now, sponsorships just aren’t there like they used to be. A lot of marketing budgets have been reallocated, and that’s made it harder for smaller brands to justify the cost.”
Patrick McDowell’s brand operates on a small scale financially but punches above its weight in influence, leveraging made-to-order production, strategic collaborations and a sustainability-first approach.
For McDowell’s dinner, guests were invited to wear pieces from the brand’s past collections, reinforcing the idea of longevity in fashion. The event also incorporated storytelling elements, with an artist painting floral motifs onto a custom leather dress inspired by McDowell’s grandmother’s wedding bouquet from 1947. “It still felt like a show—just in a different way,” McDowell said. There was no new collection shown, but future collections will be released this year, according to the company.
London Fashion Week designers 16Arlington, Aaron Esh and Feben have also opted for dinner events, while Johanna Parv and Ancuta Sarca are moving to digital presentations. Marques Almeida, Bobby Abley and Carlota Barrera were on the schedule but ultimately dropped out, hinting at increasing financial barriers.
Ahead of her Friday presentation, Alice Temperley, who has been part of London Fashion Week for over two decades, acknowledged the financial strain of runway shows.
“There is no return on investment [with a fashion show],” she said to Glossy. “Easily, a fashion show costs £100,000. You can create so much more if you use [that budget] for multiple activations that are more consumer-facing, rather than a fashion show where nobody can even have that product until much later.” However, she added that, every now and then, it’s good to do something that “people really remember.”
Despite current industry challenges, Temperley’s brand is currently expanding internationally, with a growing presence in department stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks.
Brands once relied on sponsorship deals to help fund their shows, but those partnerships are dwindling. “Drinks companies, hair brands, textile innovators — they all wanted to be part of fashion week,” McDowell recalled. “That’s just not happening at the same scale anymore.”
Caroline Rush, who is stepping down as CEO of the British Fashion Council after 16 years in June, addressed the current sponsorship challenges. “We’ve got brilliant partners we work with at London Fashion Week, and many of them are also partnering with different designers and shows and activations. But with over 112 designers showing, we can’t, unfortunately, provide that support to all of them. … Sponsorship is pulling back from some events. I’ve seen it before, but I’ve been in the job long enough to know that it will come back. For now, it’s just about making sure our designers are supported.”
She also noted designers’ current financing struggles beyond Fashion Week. “Many young designers used to benefit from production deposits from retailers, but not many stores are offering those now,” she said. “It’s not that designers aren’t taking orders; they just need to find the finance to produce them. We’ve been in discussions with the government about creating low-cost financial products that support production and growth.”
The British Fashion Council continues to provide financial and logistical support through its Newgen program, helping emerging designers secure runway space and commercial partnerships. But even established London brands are finding it increasingly difficult to finance shows independently.
As sponsorships shrink, some U.K. designers are choosing to show in Paris or Milan, where industry infrastructure and sales potential are more robust. Brexit has added to the challenges of running a fashion brand in the U.K. by increasing costs for brands manufacturing and selling within the E.U.
“Milan and Paris are more expensive to show in, but for some brands, it makes sense because their showrooms are already there,” McDowell said.
Still, McDowell emphasized that London has retained its creative edge. “It’s a shame that some heritage designers have left, but London has always been about new talent. That hasn’t changed.” London Fashion Week was the launch pad for Victoria Beckham, Grace Wales Bonner and Bianca Saunders, for example.
As more designers move away from the rigid structure of seasonal shows, many are reassessing their long-term strategies. Some, like Conner Ives, have found success in showing only once a year. Others, like McDowell, are experimenting with new formats that offer both creative freedom and financial sustainability.
“The future is a mix of show formats,” he said. “Some seasons, a show will make sense. Other times, it might be a dinner, a film or something completely different. What matters is that it feels true to the brand and the moment we’re in.”
EBay’s Fashion Week play
EBay is expanding its presence at London Fashion Week. “We’ve been part of the circular economy for 30 years,” said Kirsty Keoghan, eBay’s global gm of fashion. “But now, we’re focusing on making secondhand feel as premium and exciting as new. [fashion]”
The company’s recent Fashion Week activations have included Pre-Loved Fashion Week, which debuted in September 2024 in New York and London, in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the British Fashion Council. The event’s Endless Runway featured pre-owned pieces from designers including Khaite, Off-White, Christopher Kane, and Simone Rocha, all available for immediate purchase.
This season, eBay is hosting a networking event as part of London’s official Fashion Week agenda. It’s also continuing its introduce designer collaborations. The company recently partnered with Willy Chavarria for his brand’s 10th-anniversary show in Paris. “He sourced some of his old collections from eBay, mixing them with his new pieces,” Keoghan said. “It showed that secondhand doesn’t mean out of style.”
In addition, eBay has recently expanded its Authenticity Guarantee and introduced eBay Consignment for high-value items. “We’re not just selling pre-loved fashion, but we’re also changing the way people shop for it,” Keoghan said.
