By Charlene Bent

London has birthed many great things and above all, it is the capital of style and incredible designers. From Burberry, Christopher Kane and Vivienne Westwood to emerging talent that has sprouted sartorially across the city, for one week the London shows were set to show up for a celebration of fashion.

For the first time in two years, it was officially the return of numerous big-name designers and an action-packed calendar – however, the events took a sudden turn, following the sad news of the Queen's death. With Britain and much of the wider world in mourning, the London shows were drastically scaled back, parties cancelled and some shows rescheduled 'as a mark of respect' – while those that went ahead did so with a sombre mood hanging overhead.

But while London Fashion Week's Spring/Summer 23 season might not have been nearly as glitzy as planned, the importance of celebrating the city's immense talent, creativity and months of hard work prevailed – and the global fashion community turned out in support of Britain's designers.

The SATCoL team were present to witness the new trends including the sustainable approaches set to impact the world. And whilst on the front row, I connected with some of the industry’s leaders to get their thoughts on our key mission to support a circular economy and how they see the future of fashion evolving.

Fashion designer Sarah Regensburger showcased her collection of cruelty free fashion. The brand echoed a message of respect nature, respect human beings and respect the environment. Sustaining our planet is at the heart of Sarah’s pieces, her focus on vegan and cruelty free fashion on a mix of red and black fabric textures on a group of diverse models got the attention of press and fashion buyers alike.

Sarah shared “My collection is pretty modern but I just don’t go for the trends, I am trying to find a way to have modern garments that you want to wear in five or ten years. It’s more about reusing them and restyling them.”

In addition to my talk with Sarah, I interviewed Ross Collard, the Editor of 6000 Miles magazine, Fashion Blogger Moon Onyx Star (as seen in Elle magazine) and more industry leaders including Influencer, Eve Lily CP, renowned for her quirky looks with pops of colour on Instagram to her 274K followers. Eve Lily CP shared her thoughts on saving our planet and reducing waste. “I try my best not to buy new, styling items already in my wardrobe and always wearing things in different ways. I’m known for sustainability on Instagram and TikTok and I like to reuse and repurpose.”

These are exciting times in the textiles industry as more and more brands approach their collections with consciousness and care for the world around us. I am excited to see the trends from a week of high fashion filter from the catwalk to the high street and proud to be part of the conversation that is shaping the circular economy.

See the gallery of images from the shows and head to SATCoL TV to watch the video. Keep up to speed with all things SATCoL by following our social channels @reuse2repurpose