Paint it black: London Fashion Week’s designers reflect dystopic doom with distinct lack of colour

London Fashion Week has a way of holding up a mirror to the state of the world. More so than the adjacent counterparts in New York, Milan and Paris, which are defined by established designers, here it has always been about emerging talents who are, by their nature, more susceptible to societal and political instabilities. Whether it’s Brexit, supply chain disruptions, or the cost of living crisis, these issues force a response from young designers because they cause such a direct impact, they cannot be ignored.

This season, we’ve seen this tension play out more potently than ever before, with a string of notable absences on the schedule. Gone are the usual big hitters – and celebrity favourites – like JW Anderson, Molly Goddard, Nensi Dojaka, Chopova Lowena, and 16Arlington, the latter of whom this season has forgone a traditional show format by way of an intimate dinner where guests will wear the new collection. Instead, the lineup feels more pared-down than ever, as designers reassess how to present their new collections in response to financial challenges that have prompted a major rethink.

Put the money stuff aside, though, and there’s hardly a dearth of concern elsewhere in the world – lest we forget, this marks the first LFW under a second Trump presidency. Cue a total wipeout of diversity and inclusion policies as well as a crackdown on immigration, sending a very loud and hostile message to communities that have always been integral to the fashion industry. Perhaps it was no surprise, then, that the resounding trend from the runways so far can be best described as back to black. The colour, or lack thereof, was simply inescapable.

The tone was set at Harris Reed with a collection titled “Gilded” that was mostly made up of black sculptural gowns featuring mere flashes of gold and blue. The naked dress saw a reinvention by way of a birdcage that encased and entrapped the model’s near-nude body underneath. Other pieces were more armour-inspired, with Florence Pugh opening the show in a black gown fitted with tall spikes that shielded her face on either side. “With a sense of the world in turmoil, Reed was drawn to punk references, finding inspiration in the counterculture of rebellion and individual freedom,” the show notes explained.

At jewellery and ceramics brand Completedworks, Entourage star Debi Mazar performed a QVC-inspired skit, playing the role of a frazzled, unhappy woman who, while entertaining (“God, I need to take a piss [...] in the Eighties, I pissed twice a month!”) was the perfect avatar to mask a lingering sense of despair. An interior monologue ricocheted from lamenting how young people “don’t smoke, drink or f***” to contemplating how she might murder someone.

The mood was peppier over at SS Daley, the zeitgeisty Harry Styles-backed label that is now sold in John Lewis. A celebration of British style at its core, the collection was outerwear-focused, with checked trenches, jacquard bomber jackets and puffer jackets with corduroy collars. While full of colour, black pervaded throughout: many of the models walked the runway with a single black feather tucked into their chests, while one of the standout pieces was a black puffball skirt worn with nothing but a matching blazer.

Even at Bora Aksu, whose designs are usually defined by girlish joy and euphoria, a more sober mood was afoot, quite literally. The models wore mostly black laced ankle boots and the typical paintbox frothy frocks were largely absent. In their place? Black and navy polka-dotted smocks inspired by the subversive but deeply troubled Empress Elisabeth of Austria, whose 19th-century aesthetic was imagined by way of several dark pieces, ranging from netted veils and skirts to velvet gloves and lace trims. Even when colour made an appearance, it did so with flourishes of black in skirts, sleeves and ribbons. Even the models’ hair, which was unusually and intentionally frizzed, alluded to the possibility that something less put-together and more melancholic might be looming.

Richard Quinn tapped into this too, setting his show within the context of a gloomy, snow-covered London street. Framed by tall lamp posts and with actual snow falling from the ceiling, the runway saw models glide slowly through the frost to the sorrowful orchestral sounds. The first portion of the collection was almost exclusively black, whether it was an elegant full-skirted brocade gown, an upscale velvet bodice, or even a ribbon-covered netted T-shirt dress, black was everywhere to be seen. Not to mention the tights, ribbons, and long velvet gloves worn by most of the models.

But the latter half of the collection saw a tonal shift. The tights were suddenly white, the music was brighter and more upbeat. What had previously looked like a very glamorous funeral procession became more of a bountiful floral celebration filled with shades of scarlet, purple and mint green – one floor-length velvet gown was fitted with three-dimensional roses on the neckline. For the final few looks, Quinn turned full bridal, spotlighting a stream of stunning stiff silk pieces in a range of silhouettes – think mesh fishtails, mini dresses, and layers upon layers of tulle.

Quinn’s optimism concluded the show with a joyous finale, playing out to “Always on My Mind” by Pet Shop Boys, which transported the entire tiered audience to a nostalgia-fulled rave. Looking at the snow-covered runway and seeing the models come together, many with snowflakes clinging to their eyelashes, served as a much-needed reminder that, although times of turmoil are challenging, they do eventually pass. Because even in the depths of despair, creativity never flounders. It flourishes.