LFW AW25 Highlights: Erdem, Conner Ives, Simone Rocha and more...

As London Fashion Week comes to a close, more designers have taken to the catwalk to showcase their autumn/winter 2025 collections. 

Simone Rocha channeled teenage angst, while Conner Ives dissected the American dream and Erdem spotlighted artist Kaye Donachie's. TheIndustry.fashion shares its final highlights from some of the recent shows.

Simone Rocha channelled teenage angst for her high school-inspired collection

Simone Rocha’s AW25 collection dives into the rebellious world of school days. Inspired by The Tortoise and The Hare, it blends nostalgia and memory with a dose of teen angst. The Irish designer, who took a retrospective look at her school years, played into the drama of adolescence, setting the tone by blasting a teenage angst-themed playlist.

The AW25 collection is a mix of high school stereotypes from jocks and nerds to goths and even headmistresses that roam the hallways. In contrast, the fluffy rabbit companions offer a soft and whimsical contrast to the tougher elements like bike chain belts, S&M-inspired harnesses and biker jackets that were reimagined as puff-sleeve dresses or military greatcoats.

But of course, Rocha added her signature splash of romanticism via denim jackets and duffel coats embellished with beads. Meanwhile, rugby shirts were softened with ruffles. The runway show was a window into those hazy, desire-filled moments of youth - a reflection on how the past shapes who we are today.

Erdem brings artist Kaye Donachie's paintings to fashion in elegant AW25 collection

London-based designer Erdem has collaborated with artist Kaye Donachie for autumn/winter 2025, taking inspiration from her method of "painting with poetic license to record a character from the past". Donachie's portraits are not literal depictions but abstractions and moods, based on research and instinct.

The collection is formed of archetypal feminine silhouettes - from sculpted and mid-length dresses to cropped jackets and jumpers - where Donachie's artworks are juxtaposed and amplified. 

Key looks include a slashed neckline column dress with portrait in hand-embroidered organza appliqué and a fitted bodice in bonded canvas, hand-painted by Kaye Donachie, to a tailored jacket worn with a sculpted full skirt and a skeletal corset dress.

Emilia Wickstead brings back pillbox hats with a collection inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds

Emilia Wickstead brought pillbox hats to the runway at London Fashion Week, likely ushering in a new hat trend for the year. The New Zealand-born designer’s collection looked to Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Birds (1963) for inspiration, particularly visionary costume designer Edith Head, alongside its cast including the magnetic American actress Tippi Hedren.

Held at the Saatchi Gallery in South West London, the show kicked off with the film’s staccato string soundtrack flooding the room, as models strode onto the runway with power and purpose.

The collection did not stray far from Wickstead's style maxim, with utilitarian cuts, Sixties shift dresses and mod-style skirts. She kept her focus on the preppy side of the 1960s, such as knitwear flung over shoulders and modest dresses paired with pillbox hats. The eveningwear screamed old Hollywood glamour, with floor-length shawls, scooped necklines and doll-like empire lines.

The looks also featured colour blocking, in keeping with the monochromatic style of the Sixties. Plus, the use of accessories was juxtaposed with pillbox hats paired with cargo boots and the palette neutral featuring taupe, pale pinks and mint.

Conner Ives dissected the American dream with his satirical show

Conner Ives put on a show titled 'American Tragedies' - a layered show that merges satire, nostalgia and glamour to dissect the contradictions of the American Dream. The show opened with a playful toast to the "Ladies Who Lunch" - effortlessly lounging in caftans while planning their next brunch - setting the tone for a collection that balances absurdity with pointed commentary.

Standout moments came in the form of unexpected details: cummerbunds on women, pom-poms bouncing cheerfully on neck scarves and the ever-present influence of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. The collection showcased over-the-top pieces like big, bold hats and vintage-inspired evening wear that feel both timeless and completely ridiculous. It’s a playful take on escapism, with each outfit acting as a wink to the past, but just a little too overdone to be taken seriously.

The show was a celebration of excess, but also a sharp critique of its emptiness - using fashion not just as an escape, but as a lens to reflect on the absurdities of our time. It’s showtime, folks.

Tolu Coker explores the intersection of spirituality, community and identity through dress

British-Nigerian fashion and textiles designer Tolu Coker launched her eponymous brand in 2018. This season, she presents 'ORI – Upon Reflection'. Drawing inspiration from Yoruba spirituality - "a metaphysical concept signifying one's spiritual intuition, destiny, and the essence of self" - the AW25 collection explores dress as ritual, as memory, and as an extension of self.

Each garment is imbued with memory, emotion, and significance, urging wearers to reflect on the deeper meanings behind what they choose to wear.  She embraces the structure of uniformity, contemplating how dress codes evolve across generations and geographies while retaining root codes. As part of this, the collection pays homage to the flowing white garments of Aladura churches from Lagos to London, the ceremonial dress of Candomblé, Lucumí, and Santería across Brazil and Cuba, and the ritual attire of Black spiritual traditions in Louisiana and Haiti.

The influence of classic European tailoring is woven throughout, shaping the dialogue between ceremonial and the every day, the sacred and the structured. This interplay extends to fabric choices, where deadstock wools and gaberdines become materials of deeper exploration, while tartans, poplins, and crisp collars nod to quintessentially British sartorial codes, drawing upon the designer’s London roots. The collection serves as both a tribute to ancestral legacies and a vision for a more thoughtful, connected future in fashion.