As LFW celebrates its 40th anniversary, BFC CEO Caroline Rush considers the past and future

Two decades ago, London Fashion Week felt very much like the small potatoes of fashion seasons containing Next Little Thing designers. This weekend, as it celebrated its 40th anniversary, the UK runway season has never seemed more relevant and influential.

Back in 1984 its first season contained just 25 shows, as two entrepreneurial ladies PR. Majordomo Lynne Franks and Annette Worsley Taylor rallied designers into a debut season, at the time set in mid-March.
 
Many of the names have long since folded as fashion labels – Wendy Dagworthy, Arabella Pollen. and Murray Arbeid, to mention a few. Yet the season slowly but surely prospered, eventually launching a stellar array of talent. Names like Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen who have written some of the greatest chapters in contemporary fashion.

From the Ab Fab 80s to the Cool Britannia 90s to the past decade when the Internet helped propel a new generation of indie talent to a new level – such as J.W. Anderson, Erdem and Simone Rocha.
 
This past weekend was a jam-packed schedule of 72 schedule designers, 48 catwalk shows, 17 presentations, 63 events and 17 digital activations. In short, LFW has rarely felt more viable and self-supporting than ever, much of that due to the Stakhanovite efforts of Caroline Rush, BFC CEO for the past 15 years. 
 
Tonight, the British Fashion Council and Burberry will fete that success with a LFW40 Icons party at The Roof Gardens in Kensington. As the great and the good gather for that 40th birthday party, we thought it would be a good moment to hear from Rush on her take on LFW and British fashion’s future. 

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FashionNetwork.com: LFW is celebrating its 40th anniversary. What do you regard as its greatest accomplishments?
 
Caroline Rush: There have been so many incredible fashion moments over the past 40 years of LFW — it’s difficult to pick just one!
 
I’d say one of the pivotal moments for both LFW and the industry was the creation of BFC NEWGEN back in 1993. This program was launched to nurture and showcase emerging talent, giving them the support they needed to make a mark, whether through media exposure, securing orders, or attracting investment. It was an absolute game-changer. I still vividly remember the first designers who were recipients —names like Alexander McQueen and Clements Ribeiro. McQueen, in particular, really made waves when he presented his debut professional show, “Nihilism,” under this support. The reviews were glowing, and it was clear from that moment he was destined for global stardom.
 
FNW: What were the greatest highlights in your 15 years as CEO of the BFC?
 
CR: One of my absolute career highlights has to be when Her Majesty The Queen attended London Fashion Week in 2018 to present the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to Richard Quinn. It was such a special moment. She not only attended Richard Quinn’s catwalk show but also took the time to tour the Designer Showrooms to see the collections firsthand. And of course, who could forget that iconic image of her sitting front row? It went viral and became a truly unforgettable moment for all of us!
 
FNW: With a new government in power, keen to improve relations with the European Union, how much of an impact has Brexit had on British fashion? And how much is it continuing to have?

CR: We have always worked closely with government and are already working closely with the new government to tackle these issues impacting the industry.. Ahead of the election in June, we launched our manifesto with five key priorities actionable next steps.
 
As part of the LFW40 celebrations this season, the Prime Minister will host the BFC and guests at a 10 Downing Street reception to celebrate and promote the British fashion industry alongside senior sector leaders, government ministers, and the BFC network members. This will provide an invaluable opportunity for us to introduce the sector’s priorities to the new government and maximise the potential momentum that a change in government offers the industry.
 
UK designers and brands continue to face challenges as a result of Brexit including tariffs, supply chain disruptions, changing regulations and compliance, VAT payments, and the complexity of paperwork when importing and exporting goods to the EU. The removal of tax-free shopping has also had a significant impact on the industry. This was all included in our five priorities and we will continue to work with the government to push for a solution. 

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FNW: Which new design talent were you most excited to see in the season?
 
CR: I am always excited to see our brilliant BFC NEWGEN designers on schedule. Having announced the new cohort in May this year, this season we saw quite a few BFC NEWGEN debuts, including Charlie Constantinou, Johanna Parv, Karoline Vitto, LUEDER, Pauline Dujancourt, and YAKU. We were also really excited to welcome Harris Reed and Standing Ground to the official schedule this season.
 
FNW: What new initiatives did the BFC introduced this season?
 
CR: This season, we made some changes to the application process for LFW to reflect the rapidly evolving business landscape. We moved away from standard criteria, such as minimum stockists and introducing a requirement to reapply each season due to the limited number of slots available. The industry is constantly changing and criteria that were once relevant no longer reflect new ways that designers show and sell their collections. It felt important to us that the schedule reflects the current environment, supports designers and different stages of business and continues to showcase the best of fashion talent to an international audience.
 
We are also taking our LFW City Wide Celebration nationwide for the first time – opening up the programme to Newcastle and my home town of Manchester in addition to London. It is jam packed this season with 1,000 unique experiences and activities from over 350 brands open to the public over September. I really encourage everyone to get involved throughout the week and rally around our incredible fashion community. 
 
FNW: Givenchy just appointed Sarah Burton as creative director. Why does Britain continue to be such an exceptional pipeline of talent for great international brands?
 
CR: London is one of the four major fashion capitals and the UK stands out for its creativity, diversity, community and culture. There’s something truly special about how we nurture fashion talent—whether they’re just emerging or already established. The UK is also home to some of the world’s top fashion and art colleges, and over the years, we’ve watched incredible talents grow into global, high-end fashion brands, often with the support of the BFC’s schemes, initiatives, and competitions.
 
It’s amazing to see so many British creatives leading international powerhouse brands. Icons like Kim Jones, Maximilian Davis, Stuart Vevers, Harris Reed, and more recently David Koma—and of course, now Sarah Burton for Givenchy—are fantastic examples of how British talent continues to shape the global fashion scene.