London Fashion Week - Feb 2025

Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo and London. Five of the top fashion capitals in the world. Despite being London based, it took me a while to get into fashion photography. Although I had shot a fashion show before, London Fashion Week was new to me. In the middle of February, I discovered the first one of the bi-annual event was coming up. It had been a while since I had done fashion photography, but it reminded me of the first time I shot a fashion show - at a hotel in Riga, Latvia. I was staying there for work, and as I was returning to my room, I noticed this extravagant catwalk taking place right in front of me in the lobby! It was the Riga Fashion Show. I grabbed my camera from my room, and just started brashly snapping away, trying to blend in with the occasion! It was a real learning curve for me - trying to get the focus right with the fast moving models, the exposure right with the limited lighting, and getting a good photo composition. I settled in once I realised no one had issues with me being there, and managed to get some beautiful shots - and lots of out of focus ones too!

Getting access to the shows at London Fashion Week was easier than I expected. On their website I found a huge spreadsheet with all of the partaking fashion labels’ PR reps’ emails! I composed an email template with my best shots from Riga, and tailored each email to the label to make it more personal. Of the 76 emails I sent, 10 invited me to their shows as a photographer. As LFW was over 5 days, there were clashes between some invitations unfortunately, so I had to weigh up which suited me the most.

The first I chose was Justin Cassin, mainly swayed by their contemporary menswear, and the 10.5m Instagram followers! The venue was a beautiful church, St John’s Church, in Paddington. I arrived an hour and half early - the first photographer there - which gave me an advantage as I could choose my spot in the photographer’s pit at the end of the runway. The models were rehearsing their catwalk, which enabled me to do a few test shots which was really useful. Other photographers began to arrive, and we were all friendly and chatty with each other which made me feel more comfortable. One of the photographers, Graham, said he was going backstage to get some behind the scenes shots of the models. So I went along too! I met the key stylist, Katie Su, and she was happy for us to be there. I would try to candidly take photos of the models having makeup done or just hanging out. A couple of them even asked for my Instagram so I can send them the photos. They were all very chilled and friendly which was nice to see. Guests began to arrive and from the pit I would take candid shots of them using my 200mm-500mm lens. Some were very trendy looking people, who were probably famous influencers I had no clue about! The show itself was fun to shoot, despite the low level lighting. I tried to get creative with the shots, despite being rooted to one spot like a tin of sardines with the many other photographers!

The second event I went to was in Liverpool Street, hosted by Volkova, where three Ukrainian labels/designers - Sofia Kovalska, Shevchenko, and DEMN showcased their designs. Again I arrived one hour early but went straight backstage as some photographers had already nabbed the best spots. This was mostly womenswear and some models were still getting ready which provided good photo opportunities. I managed to identify two of the designers - Sofia, and the Shevchenko sisters - and they were happy to pose for photos. Back at the pit, the floor in front of the photographers was still available so I positioned myself right in the middle on the ground, to mix things up and get some low angle shots. Again, I had a couple of friendly photographers next to me so we chatted and stayed in touch. As guests arrived, this time I got up and walked around to take candid photos. Once back in my spot, the show began with Sofia Kovalska’s designs, and already I could tell I’d get good photos from low down in the middle. I was more efficient with my photography this time after the first show, able to shoot the lighting sweet spots, and better reposition my camera for second sets of photos with each model. Next was Shevchenko - a similar label with a similar pace, so that was good to shoot. When DEMN came on, the pace shifted up and it was tricky keeping up with the quick models! Overall, this was a more wholesome experience, being able to work with more models backstage, and try new angles on the catwalk with three different labels.

The final show I went to was the biggest and grandest of the three. Set at 180 Studios in Aldwych, with extensive security and a large studio space, this was a Moroccan themed event showcasing the Masion Sara Chraïbi and Maison Artc labels. After navigating my way to the pit, I found Graham from Justin Cassin there! Not sure he recognised me, but I mentioned the show we met at, and suggested we go backstage again. With our spots secured in an already packed pit despite being an hour early, we ventured to the back to find a large hair and makeup team busy prepping a few models. I tried to get creative with my angles so they weren’t too generic. Next door was the dressing area which was empty whilst the models rehearsed, so I got some nice shots of the clothes on rails. Back in makeup, the models had returned and it was packed! With a few more photographers too, it was trickier navigating through the crowd. But everyone was so easy going & friendly, and never made a complaint about me which was nice to see. Some of the models who were having their hair done spotted me taking photos of them and would pose or smile, which created nice shots.

After capturing a treasure trove of backstage photos, I returned to the pit. A band were playing traditional Moroccan music as guests arrived which provided great photo opportunities. With the show about to start, I was ushered back to the pit, and squeezed into the gap where my bag was, standing just left off centre. It was a unique catwalk, with the models walking in a square around huge screens in the middle, and us in one of the corners. As it was so tight in the pit, my range of angles was very limited, so I stuck to mostly traditional full body portrait shots. The lighting was good, so not much difficulty there. Maison Sara Chraïbi was first, with a range of chic and classy designs, and was straight forward to shoot. Maison Artc complicated things a little as the models would walk back the way they came from whilst other models are walking towards us, so trying to get a good photo composition was tricky! The clothes were colourful and eccentric, which also made it tough trying to capture them in all their magnificence. However it was a great experience, as it truly felt like an extravagant fashion show.

Whether you like fashion or not, to gain backstage access and have the freedom to take photos whenever of whoever you want at these shows without being questioned is a unique experience that’s hard to come by. You pick up skills and nuances that can be applied in any field of photography. If you have the opportunity to go to a fashion show, take it, enjoy it, and learn from it. If you don’t have an opportunity, find one!

Click here to see the collection of photos from LFW Feb 2025