LONDON — Meet three designers who are drawing on themes of feminism, empowerment and identity to inform their debut fall 2026 London Fashion Week collections.

Petra Fagerström

Since winning the Central Saint Martins MA L’Oréal Professionnel Creative Award last year, Petra Fagerström’s been busy scooping Milan’s Challenge the Fabric Award and becoming an LVMH Prize semifinalist. Her burgeoning brand is also stocked at Dover Street Market, 10 Corso Como and H Lorenzo.

The pressure is on, but she’s using it to her advantage, and as inspiration for the collection. “I did figure skating growing up, and I was thinking about this idea of what being called a prodigy when you’re young does to you as an adult, because you can never really live up to those expectations,” she said.

That led the designer to consider the competitive, overbearing figure skating stage mom, and cast her in a new light.

“I wanted to do a portrait of her that wasn’t satirical or villainous,” explained Fagerström. “This woman’s carrying the memory of her glory days and trying to pass them on, but there’s also sorrow for never going all the way.”

The designer reworked her signature trompe l’oeil lenticular print, where patterns appear blurred and in constant motion, across pleated fabric. It’s a trippy, vertigo-inducing effect, much like zipping around a rink at high speed. 

Sequins abound, a wink to the sparkling styles at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and there’s an emphasis on tailoring, a nod to looks worn by coaches and power suit-clad parents. 

The collection also features gold looks, a reference to the high-achieving “golden child.” Following London Fashion Week, her looks will be on show at Dover Street Market Paris ahead of the LVMH Prize presentation on March 4 and 5.

Myat

Erica Myat’s namesake brand finds empowerment in vulnerability. She encourages women to strip off their facades — especially if that means showing off their sparkly thongs in the process. 

The designer said she wants her clothes to conjure the feeling of looking at someone’s old diary, “something you’re not supposed to be looking at.”

The collection, titled “Antechamber,” documents a woman’s journey of self-acceptance, and ranges from heavy woolen coats and black trousers to airy chiffon dresses layered over embellished underpinnings.

“In my head, all of this collection is about one girl. She’s messy, still trying to figure out who she is and what she’s becoming,” said Myat.

“Every look is a stage in her journey. We’re going from her rejecting and trying to erase herself to acceptance and reclaiming who she wants to be, and in the end, she becomes fully herself,” she continued.

Building on themes of self-discovery, Myat said her runway will feature models walking around, with one encased in a box made from sugar glass. For the finale, she’ll smash out of it, a move that’s meant to signal her rejection of societal pressures and of embracing herself.

This is just the beginning of her journey for Myat.

“I can see a lot of ‘distressing’ continuing in the future, and just really messy clothes that look like she’s been through something — she’s always going through something. She’ll never look perfect,” said Myat.

Plenty of stylish people have already gotten behind her relatable narrative. The designer, who founded her brand shortly after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2024, has already dressed the model Alex Consani and singer Alyanna.

She’s also building on her “It” girl factor this season by teaming with stylist America Korban and makeup artist Aoife Cullen on her show. 

Lavin Karakoc

Life is messy, which is also what makes it so great. That’s Lavin Karakoc’s attitude, at least, and her first runway show aims to capture the chaos rather than cut through it. 

“My main inspiration was ‘Café Müller’ by the choreographer Pina Bausch,” the Turkish-born designer said. “It’s about memory, desire, and how complex being human is.” 

Material juxtaposition, like a pair of matte cotton shorts and a knit top screen-printed with shiny foils, give those abstract ideas a physical form. 

Memory, performance and identity also informed the runway’s presentation. Karakoc said two live cameras would film the audience and project their reactions on the walls of the show space.

“The moment becomes a memory, so I want people to witness their own performance,” she said.

Renewal was another key part of her process. The Central Saint Martins MA design graduate reworked vintage clothes and fabrics, giving them a new life — and the opportunity to carry fresh memories.

Karakoc wove her own experiences into the collection, too. In a nod to her Turkish family, friends and collaborators, she shipped in her accessories from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

“I’ve gathered three to five kilos of accessories — I’m not even joking. I feel like they have this sentimental value, a reminder of the people that I was working with,” she said. 

Her heritage inspired the collection’s long, structured dresses. Their modest silhouettes offer a fresh take on sexiness, finding allure in comfort rather than showing skin. 

“Where I’m from, full-body dresses that don’t expose too much still feel sexy because they’re comfy,” said Karakoc. “The silhouettes really show how I idealize women from my perspective.”