The Most Memorable British Fashion Moments Of 2024

No one needs a recap of the game of musical chairs that has defined fashion in 2024, but, as the Quality Street haze slowly starts to descend at the close of a rather dismal year, it’s bolstering to remember how British fashion in particular has come up trumps, with moments of levity, brilliance and sheer bonkersness. “Resourceful and resilient: for me, those are the two words that truly underpin British style,” wrote Chioma Nnadi in her first editor’s letter for Vogue back in March. From the blockbuster exhibition openings to the brand reboots and brat-produced pop cultural phenomenons, here are the key moments to note from London’s 2024 fashion calendar.

British Vogue shifted gears

British Vogue’s mission under new head of editorial content Chioma Nnadi: to hold up a mirror to the country as it stands today. The first cover girl for the job? FKA twigs, who, per Nnadi, “represents the ideal of the modern British eccentric”. As the “shape-shifter, who rejects conformity and takes real joy in clothes”, perched atop a Black Cab in Jonathan Anderson’s pin-cushioned lemon Loewe dress, pole danced around a lamp post in Selfridges-sourced smalls, and propped up an old-school telephone box in red Latex 16Arlington, there could be no doubt about the magazine’s mission to raise up local talent. As the year unfolded with Sophie Turner, Suki Waterhouse, Central Cee and Florence Pugh all sharing the innermost realities of their busy lives right now – while decked out in forward-thinking fashion from the country’s finest – it made us proud to contribute to the cultural landscape, as the political one rumbled on without a clear message.

Simone Rocha aced her guest appearance at couture

It was always going to be good, but Simone Rocha’s first couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier scored her the British Womenswear Designer of the Year prize at the Fashion Awards, it was that good. “To be a guest is a real gift, to identify with Mr Gaultier and his archive, and then to see what your spirit does in response is so interesting and exciting,” said Rocha, who zeroed in on panniers and corsetry crafted from silver-coated Irish crochet, Breton tees fashioned entirely out of ribbons, and thorny silver rose breast pieces while delving deep into the romance of the house. Happily, all of the cheekiness woven into Gaultier’s cinched silhouettes trickled down to Rocha’s own work, as evidenced by her naughtiest collection to date (comprising beaded floral nipple pasties and lady gardens, no less) for spring/summer 2025. “It’s always good to see Irish people are back in vogue,” said fellow Irish creative Jonathan Anderson at the Fashion Awards – a reminder that we’re lucky to have such talents operating out of London while continuing to influence the industry at large.