LONDON, SEPTEMBER 2026 — Fashion Scout is marking 20 years of showcasing independent fashion talent, celebrating two decades of supporting emerging designers in London and internationally.
Founded in London in 2006, Fashion Scout has provided opportunities for more than 1,500 designers from over 70 countries, giving UK and international talent a platform to present their work to the London Fashion Week audience.
Over the past two decades, its catwalks and programmes have featured designers including Iris van Herpen, Peter Pilotto, David Koma, Eudon Choi, Phoebe English, Tolu Coker, Maximilian Raynor, Kazna Asker and AGRO Studio.
For its 20th anniversary, Fashion Scout is looking not only at its history but also at the next generation of designers. The September London Fashion Week programme will feature three Ones To Watch catwalk shows, described as the largest emerging-talent programme in Fashion Scout’s history, alongside individual designer shows, exhibitions and international collaborations.
Designers Reflect on Fashion Scout’s Role
The story of Fashion Scout’s 20 years is closely connected to the designers who began their careers through its programmes. Their experiences include first catwalk appearances, early wholesale orders, international showcases and the development of fashion businesses.
Iris van Herpen said Fashion Scout had been part of her brand’s early development:
“Fashion Scout has been around almost as long as the Maison; our 20th anniversary is next year too. It’s wonderful our beginnings started at the same time, and that Fashion Scout supported my early transformation as a brand.”
For David Koma, the Fashion Scout Merit Award came shortly after his graduation in 2009. He said the award gave him the confidence and support to present his work at London Fashion Week for the first time. Koma later returned to support emerging designers, describing platforms such as Fashion Scout as important to London’s creative community.
Eudon Choi recalled launching his label 19 years ago and entering Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch competition. After winning the Merit Award, he was able to present three consecutive solo seasons during London Fashion Week.
“I am forever grateful to Fashion Scout for believing in me, pushing me to evolve and standing by my side from day one.”
Phoebe English also described Fashion Scout as an important starting point after graduation. She was given the opportunity to develop another collection and later joined the organisation’s showroom, where her first wholesale shop order was placed. She said those early opportunities helped lead to the registration of her company.
For Maximilian Raynor, Fashion Scout’s support extended beyond London. Following his BA graduate show, he was selected for a trip to Rwanda, where he met King Charles and worked with a network of designers from around the world.
He described the experience as an important source of validation after graduation and praised Fashion Scout’s continued commitment to discovering and supporting international talent.
Adebayo Oke-Lawal, founder of Orange Culture, said being selected for Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch programme gave the brand the opportunity to present its first show in the UK and Europe.
He said the platform introduced Orange Culture to new audiences and helped the brand begin considering its international future.
Leaf Xia recalled learning about her Ones To Watch selection while living in New York. She said the moment changed her future and gave her the confidence to continue developing her first capsule collection.
Meanwhile, Anna October said she created her brand after attending a Fashion Scout lecture about building a fashion label. She later contacted the organisation after receiving interest from a buyer in Kuwait and began showing her collections in Paris. She also credited Fashion Scout with teaching her practical aspects of working in the fashion industry, including how to write follow-up emails.
Together, the designers’ accounts highlight the less visible elements of developing a fashion career, from early collections and international opportunities to first buyers, wholesale orders and the practical knowledge needed to establish a business.
A New Generation of Designers
Fashion Scout’s anniversary season also introduces a new group of designers whose work draws on craft, regional identity, architecture, faith and cultural memory while reinterpreting traditional techniques through contemporary fashion.
Following Adolf Maldonado’s Ones To Watch debut in February, he returns to Fashion Scout after Forbes praised his sculptural approach to menswear couture and after his work was featured by FAULT and worn by Ayra Starr.
Serina Lee, winner of the Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award, combines Chinese painting, calligraphy and hand-worked textiles with digital technologies.
Yukito Lim joins the programme after receiving the FASHION NOW Pioneer Designer Award at AW26 Beijing Fashion Week. Anastasiia Pozhydaeva, founder of Kyiv-based ACIDSIIIA and featured in Dazed, reinterprets Ukrainian craft through sculptural womenswear.
Tyler Von Greenston, a 2026 London College of Fashion graduate, was selected as a UK semi-finalist for the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge. His work combines zero-waste principles with sculptural craftsmanship.
Chatchai Chaitrakulthong of CHATCHAI C brings experience from Westminster, Istituto Marangoni Shanghai, the Savile Row Bespoke Academy and Givenchy Paris to his approach to modern menswear.
South African designer Tadiwanashe Karen Kaparipari of TADI wa NASHE joins after making her South African Fashion Week debut, where TimesLIVE named her an “One To Watch”.
Irish designer Niamh McGovern of NMCG, named by IMAGE among its Irish designers to watch in 2026, explores personal memory, Irish cultural imagery and the relationship between tradition and contemporary youth culture.
Beyond Ones To Watch, Haus of McLees brings Shoshone heritage and traditional beadwork into contemporary fashion, with designer Mclees Mantegazza previously highlighted by Forbes.
The wider programme includes the tenth anniversary edition of FJU Talents, continuing Fashion Scout’s long-running platform for Taiwanese designers in London.
Across the programme, designers draw from Gurunsi architecture, Asturian craft traditions, West African textiles, Indian handwork, material experimentation, reconstruction and tailoring.
Fashion Scout’s 20-Year Mission
Fashion Scout was founded in 2006 by Martyn Roberts and John Wolford on the principle that talented designers should have access to the visibility and professional infrastructure surrounding London Fashion Week without having to build the complex requirements of a professional catwalk show independently.
“We started with a very simple belief: brilliant designers should have the opportunity during London Fashion Week, with access to the professional infrastructure and support needed to present their talents at its best,” said Martyn Roberts, Founder and Director of Fashion Scout.
“Twenty years later, what remains most exciting is that moment before everybody knows the name. Our role is to recognise that potential at a pivotal moment in their careers and enable it to be seen around the world.”
What began as a London Fashion Week platform has since expanded into an international creative network. Fashion Scout now works across showcasing, mentoring, creative-business acceleration, cultural exchange and sector development, collaborating with fashion organisations, governments, universities and cultural institutions across Africa, Europe, the Caucasus, the Balkans and Asia.
Biljana Poposka-Roberts, Managing Director of Fashion Scout, said London remains the organisation’s home while continuing to serve as a meeting point for international creativity.
“After twenty years, what excites us isn’t simply looking at where Fashion Scout has been. It’s seeing another generation arrive with completely different experiences, cultures and ways of making. Our role is to create the conditions for those new ideas to enter the conversation and see where they go next.”
Fashion Scout 20th Anniversary Season
As part of its anniversary programme, Fashion Scout will present BEYOND LIMITS: Polish Visionaries, a three-day exhibition featuring 12 Polish fashion and jewellery creatives working across experimental fashion, wearable art, contemporary jewellery and upcycling.
The exhibition explores cultural heritage, identity, technology and new approaches to making, with GQ Poland as exclusive media partner.
Fashion Scout will also continue its partnership with Sally Beauty, the Official Hair Partner for the programme. UNITE Hair will be featured on the Fashion Scout catwalk, with Narad Kutowaroo, UK Creative Director and Ambassador for UNITE Hair, leading hair across the programme.
The organisation will also continue its long-standing partnership with AOFM Makeup Academy, with international make-up artist Mandy Gakhal leading make-up for the anniversary season.
Twenty years after its launch, Fashion Scout’s anniversary season brings its original focus back to the London Fashion Week catwalk: recognising the designers who helped shape its history while giving a new generation a platform to present their work.
Fashion Scout — London Fashion Week September 2026
Dates: 19–20 September 2026
Venue: Protein Studios, Shoreditch
Address: 31 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY