A renewed take on menswear: What to expect from LFW June’s new ‘cultural’ format

Last year, the British Fashion Council (BFC) announced plans for a sweeping refresh of its menswear-dedicated fashion week as part of a wider strategy shift across the organisation as a whole. The announcement marked the commencement of a transition period for the council, under the direction of its chairman David Pemsel, who joined the board towards the end of 2022.

In a letter addressed to BFC members, Pemsel alongside CEO Caroline Rush said the organisation was on a mission to reposition itself as a “catalyst for change”, following the overarching goal of funnelling more support into local designers and brands in a bid to revive the UK’s fashion industry and support the next generation of talent. With this in mind, Rush noted that such a shift could result in drastic changes for London’s fashion week landscape – evidence of which was already present in the decision to no longer host the January edition of London Fashion Week earlier this year, based on the premise of its “awkward” timing.

Naturally, concern arose with regards to the possible lack of available platforms for menswear designers, with the January edition having previously been dedicated to such brands. Now, however, the BFC is hoping to evolve its planned transformation via the newly rebranded ‘LFW June’, which could shed some light on what the council has planned for the future of the menswear sector and beyond. Here’s what to look forward to over the course of June 7 to 9 during LFW’s 40th anniversary year, kicking off the global SS25 menswear fashion season.

What LFW’s new ‘cultural moment’ concept means

In April, the BFC already outlined a new concept for LFW June based on the premise of “igniting a cultural moment” in London by spotlighting different cultures and communities that have made a “rich and significant contribution to the British fashion industry” with a particular focus on the region’s menswear business.

Through this, guest curators – television broadcaster Clara Amfo; poet and model Kai-Isaiah Jamal; and writer and creative Simran Ranhawa – have each been tasked with curating a cultural programme of events on June 7 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) based on exhibitions by guest photographers Dani D’Ingeo, Stephen Akinyemi and Tami Aftab.

These individuals reflect three chosen cultures to inform this year’s programme: Black culture centred around self-love; South Asian culture with focus on pattern, textile and craftsmanship; and queer culture, with young creatives from the trans community being highlighted. British brands and designers are therefore encouraged to tell their personal stories in regards to these cultures.

Bringing menswear back into the spotlight

While there may be a noticeably smaller roster of participating brands for this edition, the breadth with which they cover is much wider than it has been in the past. This is largely due to the introduction of Savile Row designers to the schedule, with the likes of Clothsurgeon, Gieves & Hawkes and Richard James among some of those joining the activation round up. The tailoring sector has been a one that has typically been excluded from LFW in the past, however, it was a category which Rush had touched on in the aforementioned plan, noting that discussions had been in place to create a new platform that would incorporate such businesses into BFC’s support system.

These will run alongside shows by Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, Denzilpatrick, Harri and Qasimi, contributing to the ‘40 for 40’ programme concept – 40 activations for LFW’s 40 anniversary. In addition, over June 9 a selection of brands – including Carlota Barrera, Denzilpatrick, Derrick and Kyle Ho, among others – will be showcased within the Groucho Club, once again expanding the categories included.