London Fashion Week 2019: Events for the public including runway shows, jewellery workshops and cocktails

London Fashion Week returns next week to showcase some of the most creative and innovative fashion designers in the world and ignite a city-wide celebration of the creative industries. 

On September 13, international press, buyers and influencers will descend on the capital for the bi-annual four-day fashion frenzy known as London Fashion Week.

And whilst the shows themselves are reserved for industry insiders, you don’t have to be a fashion editor to get a taste of the action.

Over the course of the next week London is set to sizzle with a host of fabulous fashion events, and many of them are open to the public. Hell, most of them are free!

So don your sassiest get-up and get out there – fashion never sleeps, people. 

Here are all the ways to get involved:

Sit on the FROW at London Fashion Week

Want to rub shoulders with the fashion elite? You can now officially sit on the FROW at London Fashion Week. The British Fashion Council has announced that two of London’s finest homegrown brands, House of Holland and Self-Portrait, will stage public shows during LFW, where they will showcase their autumn/winter 2019 collections during three different timeslots throughout the day.

Self-Portrait is loved for its dainty and feminine designs, which have been worn by the likes of Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle, while House of Holland is known for its exuberant showcases and designs, with models such as Winnie Harlow, Cara Delevingne and Agyness Deyn amongst the famous faces who have walked for the brand. 

Both standard and VIP tickets can be bought here.

London College of Fashion tech workshops 

In order to take a nose-dive look in to the role of tech in the fashion industry, the Microsoft flagship store has teamed up with the London College of Fashion to run a series of workshops and events which fall over fashion week. There are workshops on sustainability, innovation, digital fashion design and entrepreneurship – and, if this wasn’t tempting enough, you can also create your own tote bag which will be printed in store, free of charge.

This event is free to the public, so register for the workshops here. 

The Anya Hindmarch Postbox Maze

The fashion designer responsible for previous London Fashion Week installations, including a giant bean bag and Chubby Hearts, is back, this time having designed a post box-inspired maze. To celebrate the launch of Hindmarch’s new Postbox Collection of accessories, the exhibition will last four days during fashion week and its design was inspired by the patterns found in M.C. Escher’s Metamorphosis III mural, which was installed in the Hague Post Office 50 years ago. Calligraphy workshops will also be on offer. 

The Anya Hindmarch Postbox Maze is at Brewer Street Car Park, September 13 – 16. Tickets are £12.50 and can be bought in advance here. 

Browns East x Peggy Gou 

To celebrate the launch of her new streetwear brand, Kirin, South Korean designer, DJ and general girl of the moment Peggy Gou, will be performing at Browns East on September 13, right in the middle of the fashion week frenzy. The store is located in a former print factory in trendy Shoreditch and as well as drinks and live music, there will also be a limited edition t-shirt (which Gou will sign) available to buy on the night. Let the Gou-mania continue. 

For more info, head to the website.

Mulberry jewellery workshops 

Ever wanted to go behind the scenes at a fashion house? Now you can. Kind of. Mulberry has invited a selection of its Somerset craftspeople to host free bracelet-making workshops over LFW in the brands’ Regent Street flagship store. The bracelets will be constructed from offcuts from the latest addition to the Mulberry family, the Iris bag, and offer the chance to add your initials to your handmade bracelet too. 

Workshops are offered from September 13-16, sign up here. 

The May Fair Hotel’s ‘fashun’ cocktails

It’s not fashion week if it’s not totally OTT and ‘extra.’ That’s what the team at The May Fair Hotel, which is incidentally, the official London Fashion Week hotel, is well aware of. Each season during fashion week, the hotel has a different fashion designer curate a beautiful window display as well as introducing a new selection of cocktails. This season it’s Osman Yousefzada, the man known for his strong and bold sculptural designs. If you’re ordering, we’ll have a ‘Japanese Mist’, thank you very much. 

Read more about the limited-edition cocktails here.