‘It’s not as glamorous as you might think!’ Meet the women bringing London Fashion Week to life

For a heady mix of beauty, imagination and style, it’s hard to top London Fashion Week. Since its low-key launch in a west London car park in 1984, LFW has grown into a must-see event for the international fashion crowd, renowned for its creativity and cultural diversity.

While many of us are just getting to grips with the autumn/winter fashion colour trends 2025 and autumn/winter shoe trends 2025, from 18-22 September 2025, catwalks will pop up all over the city, hosting a huge range of designers showcasing their Spring/Summer 2026 collections across traditional runways, digital platforms and immersive installations.

Fashion is a vital part of our creative economy, generating a staggering £60 billion every year. So giving a platform to established designers and some of the best British clothing brands as well as emerging talent is key, with the British Fashion Council curating the biannual LFW for both the February and September events.

But the glamour doesn’t come cheap. The biggest shows cost up to £500,000, covering venue hire, set build, lighting, choreography, music and models. Very few shows attract enough sponsorship to make money – it’s all about creating a buzz to drive future sales.

LFW features around 100 shows across the five days, with events running from 9am until well into the night. But what does it take to put all this together? We take a look behind the scenes.

The stylist

Personal stylist Fleur Mandeville, 48, from Tunbridge Wells, has worked as a dresser at London Fashion Week for many seasons.

"Each model walking in Fashion Week has one or two dressers backstage, making sure they are immaculate. Every girl usually has three or four different looks, so it’s full-on, delivering super-fast outfit changes," says Fleur.

The backstage army of dressers and runners includes many fashion students working to build valuable contacts and experience.

"The clothes, shoes and accessories are all carefully racked, with pictures of the finished looks attached. Even so, there’s lots of rushing around with last-minute hair, make-up and outfit tweaks.

There’s usually a two-hour window for hair, make-up and dressing, then 15 minutes to get the models lined up before an eight-to 10-minute show.

"Latex is the bane of a dresser’s life, as there’s no fast way to pull it on and off, and zips can also be tricky. Shoes often don’t fit, but you learn to stuff pointed toes with toilet paper and to pin together troublesome clasps.

"The models themselves are brilliant. On a Julien Macdonald show, the intricate clothes were like works of art, with cut-outs and diamanté details, and adorned with feathers and pearls. Ultimately, the models’ success depends on dressers making them look the part, so we all work as a team.

"I like to get in super early, but despite the long days, I love the buzz of being backstage and the party atmosphere at the end of a great show. I also see the newest trends months before they hit the high street."

The Casting Director

Sarah Bunter, 45, from Brighton, runs Bunter Casting, selecting models for London Fashion Week shows.

"Fashion Week is a crazy, wonderful, exhausting few days. With many models only flying in to London the week before, we usually have just one or two days to see our shortlist," Sarah says.

"As a casting director, I’ll get my brief about a month beforehand, then liaise between modelling agencies and designers. Models work globally, so I need to know who will be in London as well as who has the right look.

"We gradually turn our list of possibles into Yes and Maybe boards, moving photos around like a jigsaw until we have the right line-up. Even then, it’s rarely certain. A First Option means an agency definitely wants the model in your show. However, a Second Option leaves you second in line behind a bigger brand, so you might not confirm a model until just before call time.

"Backstage can feel like chasing chickens. At one rehearsal, the delicious lunch arrived just as we were getting the male models in line for the finale and proved too tempting to wait for. Suddenly, no one was there – they eventually fell on to the catwalk with cheeks stuffed full of sandwiches!

"My job is not as glamorous as one might think. I spend much of Fashion Week on a folding chair with my laptop, grabbing a bite to eat when I can and dealing with last-minute glitches. I’m always armed with back-up plans in case the models are delayed in a fitting or get stuck in traffic.

"I love the energy of the shows, but I don’t hit many of the big parties any more. Usually it’s just after-show drinks with the team, then an early night, ready to go again the next day."

The Creative director

Sara Blonstein, 59, from London, is the creative director of production company Blonstein.

"Since founding my business in 1989, I have produced hundreds of LFW shows. My job is to understand a designer’s vision, then work on the practicalities of bringing it to life," Sarah explains.

"This year we’re working with the British Fashion Council again on its NEWGEN initiative, creating a shared runway for up-and-coming designers. Planning begins five months in advance, with the build starting five days beforehand. We’ll have up to 100 people working in each venue.

"With just a one-hour rehearsal before we go live, everyone must step up. Thankfully, I work with a brilliant team of experts."

"Even the best-laid plans change if front row guests turn up late, but we try to wait if it’s someone high profile. The front row often includes journalists, influencers and celebrities, usually wearing the designer’s clothes – it’s important to get them all there for maximum coverage.

"In 2018, after signing a non-disclosure agreement a few hours before Richard Quinn’s show, I was told that Queen Elizabeth II would be attending with Anna Wintour. I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.

"My team couldn’t understand why I was suddenly so concerned about lowering the volume of our thrash-metal accompaniment. Their gasps were priceless as the Queen entered, minutes before models in gimp masks took to the catwalk, but the show was a huge success, with the Queen smiling throughout.

"I can’t explain the relief afterwards as we all collapsed in a happy heap!"

The designer

Anna Foster, 51, from Hackney, is a former stylist turned fashion designer. She created her brand E.L.V. DENIM in 2018, upcycling discarded materials to make her clothes.

"Presenting my first E.L.V. DENIM show at LFW in February 2025 was a leap of faith. I was nervous, but I felt it was time people saw what incredible clothes it’s possible to create by upcycling.

"Our look combines modern flattering cuts with the unique character of upcycled denim to create timeless pieces that feel both effortless and thoughtfully made.

"There were moments of thinking it was madness – a week before the show, we still didn’t have a venue. But having worked at LFW as a stylist for over 20 years, I was used to the chaos. I’m delighted that it all came together so well and that we got people talking about sustainable fashion.

"We chose to do an immersive installation in an empty shop on Regent Street. Our behind-the-scenes experience showed PRs, journalists, influencers and stylists the journey our clothes take from discarded jeans to finished pieces. It was a huge, expensive undertaking, but we’ve achieved what many said couldn’t be done – creating an upcycling business model at scale.

"From a single piece made in my kitchen to a full, ready-to-wear collection, I couldn’t be prouder of the brand and my team."