Edeline Lee likes to get deliciously deviant with her London Fashion Week slot—from fashion flash mobs to a podcast to dance recitals. For a brand bolstered by a high-powered customer who wants to feel confident behind a podium, and who will repeat purchase signature styles in myriad colors, LFW is a moment of play. High above leafy Hyde Park, in the sun-drenched rooftop bar of the Peninsula Hotel, guests gathered for what they thought was a standard runway show, a celebration of the brand’s 15th anniversary. But instead of a catwalk, the crowd received a conceit: a book launch.
“After a time of deep reflection, I hope that this book demonstrates how many hands and minds have contributed to our journey,” Lee told those gathered. “I’ve always been blessed to have a wonderful community around me, and this has been expressed in so many different ways—this book is that history.”
Lee worked with friend and fellow Central Saint Martins graduate, art director Kyung Roh Bannwart, on the book’s design, with edits by Nancy Durrant. It traces every collectsion, runway show, activation, and valued team member across 15 years. It was important, for such a distinctly British brand committed to local manufacturing, to have those same sensibilities reflected in print: paper by James Cropper, printing by F E Burman, and binding by Diamond Print Services. (The fore edge of the book features a pattern that reflects the height of the designer’s son through every collectsion date.)
Away from the coffee and chitchat, next door the fall 2026 collectsion was being shot live. (Guests will receive the photos to add as an insert to their book in a few weeks.) Models then came in, salon style, and mingled among guests, posing around the curved booths and the sunny terrace. A new shade of buttery yellow debuted with a very fun, editorial-primed tiered skirt and sleeve moment; a familiar sun-pleated midiskirt; and the brand’s elegant go-to, the dolman-y Pedernal dress with its pebble-textured, flou bubble jacquard. This flowed into gold sequin (resplendent in a buoyant A-line-skirted ball gown), blue, rust, and ivory tones. Beloved silhouettes, like the fluted skirt, elegant cape, and silky draped blouses, anchored the collectsion for the singularly minded Edeline Lee woman, packing her international conference-tour suitcase for her.
Last season, Lee gave us a very chic foray into knitwear—entry-level pieces that are affordably priced, targeting a young and cool customer, with FSC viscose, all produced in the UK. (That’s no mean feat for an independent British designer.) “It’s one of the hardest but most fulfilling things we’ve done as a brand,” she said at a preview at her Limehouse studio-slash-home, as her in-house atelier diligently worked away. Here there were mock necks and slivers of skin-baring knit dresses in cobalt and midnight blue—up close, their quality was striking.
“The core of the brand is for women who need to show up, who want to feel comfortable and confident and powerful,” Lee said. As the label continues to grow, Fashion Week is its chance to experiment and articulate new ideas. “It needs to feed us, but it also needs to excite us,” said Lee. “We’re taking care of our woman, all while showing that we can push things too.”
