Irish designers were at the forefront of the 40th anniversary edition of London Fashion Week which concludes today. From JW Anderson and Simone Rocha to newcomers and old-timers, the spring-summer 2025 collections attested to the endurance of Irish talent in the British capital. JW Anderson Sunday morning’s JW Anderson show at Old Billingsgate was a rollicking start to the day with a bracing thesis on femininity.
Fascinated by the Irish tradition of a girls night out, Anderson was drawn to a tougher attitude. There was no room for confusion with this sharp, direct outing. The runway was replete with attenuated silhouettes and abbreviated hemlines.
There were also playful shapes, like a dress with giant woven loops, spaceship-shaped skirts, hoop skirts, and structured A-line skirts that jutted outwards, that had a thrilling verve. The sharpness extended to fabrication too: silk satin, leather, and cashmere were the only fabrics; lace and sequins, the only decoration. In its simplicity, Anderson liberated party dressing.
Simone Rocha There was a pervasive lightness at Simone Rocha’s outing at the Old Bailey on Sunday where balletic influences loomed large. Rocha, whose debut monograph documenting the first decade of her career will be published by Rizzoli next month, recalled her signatures and expanded her offering. She juxtaposed rarefied aspects of her work like tulle tutus, sensual organza slips, and satin gowns, with tailoring, technical jackets, knitwear, and prints o.