London Fashion Week opens with party and second-hand runways

LONDON

A hotly anticipated party thrown by high-street retailer H&M and pop star Charli XCX was set to shake things up as London Fashion Week opened on Sept. 12, along with two shows focused on sustainability.

The LFW Spring/Summer 2025 schedule, which runs until Sept. 17, had been set for weeks when the Swedish fast-fashion giant burst onto the scene announcing a collaboration with the British singer, overshadowing big-name designers.

The British Fashion Council (BFC) is celebrating London Fashion Week's 40th anniversary and vying to remain relevant to younger audiences after an exodus of designers over the past two decades.

Ahead of the H&M party, the fashion week frenzy kicked off Thursday in another vein with two shows featuring second-hand clothing to encourage sustainability in the fashion industry, one of the world's biggest polluters.

Online auction platform eBay put on its "Endless Runway" catwalk with "pre-loved" designer clothes that were sold on the second-hand website's live shopping platform at the same time as the show.

And the Oxfam charity returned with its "Style for Change" runway, partnering for the first time with second-hand online marketplace Vinted for a buzzing catwalk featuring clothes picked out by designer Bay Garnett from Oxfam warehouses.

The catwalk aimed to showcase the "joy and innovation of second-hand fashion" and "break the stigma that still might be associated" with it, a Vinted spokesperson said ahead of the show.

The runway featured models donning playful textures and clashing patterns, with something for everyone. Some of the clothes will be available to buy on Vinted after the show.