With Paris fashion week looming, I think it's important to look forward to the next London fashion week. Let’s be honest: for a while, London Fashion Week felt like the cool party that didn’t actually check who was on the guest list. You could show up, serve looks, and dip without really having to explain where your stuff came from or who made it. But that era? It’s coming to a dramatic end. Starting 2025, the British Fashion Council is trialling the same sustainability criteria Copenhagen Fashion Week made iconic and by January 2026, those rules won’t just be vibes, they’ll be mandatory.
So what are we talking about? ESG strategies. Preferred materials. Inclusive casting. No more single-use show props. And most importantly? Proof. You’ll need receipts, literally, to say your brand’s sustainable. It’s giving “don’t just look good, do good,” and it’s a cultural shift UK creatives can’t ignore.
The BFC partnering with Copenhagen on this is actually major. Copenhagen’s been leading the charge with their strict 18-point system since 2020, asking brands to back up their ethics with action. That means no greenwashing, no vague "eco" claims, no fast fashion parading as conscious because they threw a hemp hoodie on a model. London’s trial through NEWGEN in 2025 is essentially a warm-up, giving emerging designers a chance to get their house in order before it becomes the norm.
And look, I get it ... The fashion system in the UK is already chaotic enough. Between Brexit, rising costs, and a cost-of-living crisis, adding another checklist feels like a lot. But let’s flip it. These new standards aren’t just hoops to jump through; they’re filters for the future. The brands that can show their supply chain is traceable, their casting is diverse, and their materials aren’t wrecking the planet? Those are the brands that will actually get through the door, to investment, press, retail partnerships, you name it.
This shift also means LFW could start to matter again. Not just as a show-and-tell for rich kids with PR budgets, but as a real incubator for talent that’s building the next-gen system, not copying the old one. It’s especially important for marginalised creatives who’ve always worked with limited resources and found sustainable hacks out of necessity. Now those hacks are being seen as innovation, not lack.
And let’s be honest: if you’re starting a brand now, wouldn’t you rather build with intention than have to reverse engineer ethics later? New brands can actually embed this stuff from day one. Think about using deadstock, open-source design systems, and digital passports from the jump. That’s not just good ethics, it’s a business advantage.
What’s happening here is bigger than guidelines, it’s a signal. If you want to be part of the industry’s next chapter, you’ve got to build your work like it deserves a platform. Because soon, platforms like LFW won’t even let you on unless you do.