In mid-2025, long-standing leader of the British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush, stepped down to make way for Laura Weir — a director with ambitious plans to transform the industry. Under her leadership, all BFC scholarship recipients now receive more funding than ever, enabling them to create bolder collections and stage spectacular shows. Laura Weir also waived the fee for showcasing new designer collections within the main calendar. The results were immediate: interest in London Fashion Week, which concluded on 22 September 2025, surged, with the number of participating designers rising by 18%.
The changes were necessary as the fashion and luxury sectors are among the first to feel the impact of shifting consumer spending. Retailers like Selfridges have noted the challenges, especially after the removal of tax-free shopping for tourists, which made the UK less attractive for wealthy visitors. US and Asian shoppers now tend to buy luxury items in European cities like Paris and Milan instead of London. Laura Weir’s policies aim to boost the UK’s competitiveness and London Fashion Week’s profile.
One key initiative is doubling investment in LFW’s guest programme to attract more international designers, including emerging markets. This area used to receive little focus, but now similar reforms are happening across various fashion events. Some, like Moscow Fashion Week, have long prioritized internationalization and multicultural representation. In September, designers from 13 different countries took part, including the USA, Spain, China, India, Turkey, South Africa, and Brazil.
Experience from Moscow Fashion Week shows that the multinational nature of an event almost guarantees steady growth. This approach allows organisers to gather fresh ideas from around the world and attract audiences from emerging countries. Attendees also discover traditions and cultures they might never have known before. For example, Russian brand Alena Akhmadullina presented a grand show featuring looks inspired by medieval Russian art, featuring architectural dresses adorned with pearls and inspired by mythical women-birds. Another example is Ogo Citizen, whose designers reconstructed the image of a Kerdyugen warrior from four millennia ago. Clothing becomes a playground for experimentation: deconstructed silhouettes, asymmetrical draping and “unfinished” details play against structured forms, as if order emerged from chaos.
During the latest London Fashion Week, a meeting took place titled “LFW 2025 Future Fashion Culture & Tech”, exploring topics such as transparency of digital product passports, the integration of Phygital, NFC and NFT technologies in fashion, and the rise of immersive, spatial and augmented-reality experiences. Artificial intelligence also took centre stage, highlighting the British Fashion Council’s strong focus on digital innovation. Similar discussions took place at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit, held alongside Moscow Fashion Week. Experts, specialists and designers from 65 countries attended, with more than a dozen sessions dedicated specifically to new technologies.
“I see the largest potential for innovation in the fashion industry coming from sustainability and technology,” shares Tonia Fouseki, Founder and President of the Athens Fashion Week. “Consumers are increasingly demanding eco-friendly materials, ethical production and circular fashion models, pushing brands to innovate in sourcing, manufacturing and waste reduction. At the same time, advances in technology such as 3D design and printing, AI-driven personalisation, and blockchain for transparency and traceability, are transforming how fashion is created, marketed and sold. Combining sustainability with cutting-edge technology offers exciting opportunities to rethink the entire fashion value chain, making it more efficient, responsible and engaging for consumers. This fusion will likely drive the next wave of growth in the fashion industry.”
Laura Weir’s initiatives confirm that UK fashion leaders fully understand the foundation for future development: careful study of ideas from abroad, dialogue with other fashion events and widespread adoption of the latest technologies. The more open London Fashion Week becomes, the stronger the market will be. Moscow Fashion Week and the BRICS+ Fashion Summit provide excellent examples of open policies that are worth watching in the coming years.
