London Fashion Week: Cultural Contribution

Debate between Rosie Wrighting and Uma Kumaran

Tuesday 16th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Rosie Wrighting]

I absolutely agree. Stories of the careers of graduates who have gone on to be influential designers come from all across the UK. We need to ensure that young people potentially watching this debate now are seeing fashion as a future career and feel as though there are steps they can take and there is a vibrant career ahead of them, so I thank the hon. Member for that intervention.

I grew up with my fair share of challenges, but the thought of a career in fashion gave me drive and determination that shaped the rest of my life. The belief that creativity can be a path forward is something that London Fashion Week represents to me and to thousands of young people across the country, who see their opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

The talent at London Fashion Week is unmatched and embodies the best of Britain—our creativity, diversity and resilience, which comes from every corner of the UK. Take the story of Lee McQueen, the son of a taxi driver and a teaching assistant who became one of the most influential designers the world has ever seen. Lee’s path into fashion was not paved with privilege; he fought his way in. The story goes that he turned up, portfolio in hand, and quite literally knocked on the door of Central Saint Martins, asking for a place on its MA course. At first he was turned away, but his work spoke for itself and he was eventually given a chance.

That image—of a young designer knocking on a door and refusing to be invisible—captures something vital about London Fashion Week and the British fashion industry. It is a space where raw talent, determination and creativity can break through. Lee McQueen—Alexander McQueen—created collections that were provocative, political and deeply emotional, blending his working-class roots with British history and culture.

Fashion was accessible to me when I was growing up in Kettering and it was accessible to Lee when he banged on that door. But it worries me that there are potentially young people today who cannot force their way into fashion in quite the way that Lee did.

[Uma Kumaran (Stratford and Bow) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and for securing this debate, and I congratulate her on being one of the best-dressed Members of Parliament. [Laughter.]

My constituency of Stratford and Bow is home to so much art and fashion in London, from Hackney Wick to Fish Island, where we have a fashion show this weekend at The Trampery. And in the Olympic Park, we have the incredible London College of Fashion, which is training up the next generation of students and fashion creators. However, both the teachers and students there have told me that although the fashion industry is a massive force for growth and opportunity, its current practices are an existential threat to its future, because they are prohibiting people from becoming involved in the industry. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is more important than ever that we keep fashion accessible, and that the UK’s world-leading fashion sector prioritises circularity and sustainability in the heart of everything it does? And if she does agree, would she ask the Government to consider those points, too?

[Rosie Wrighting]

I thank my hon. Friend, both for her intervention and for how much she champions the fashion industry and the creatives in her constituency. East London is a massive part of Fashion Week and she is a great champion of it. And I absolutely agree with her intervention, particularly on the importance of circularity and sustainability. Fashion must move very quickly, given the challenges facing the UK and the world, and it is right that it is supported in that regard.

We must ensure that fashion remains a viable career for young people, particularly those from outside London and from working-class communities. That means making it easier for designers and brands to scale up their businesses without being forced to sell early or relocate abroad. It also means providing stronger financial education and mentoring for young creatives, so that talent is matched with tools to build sustainable businesses. It also means tackling unfair payment practices, because too many freelancers, small brands and small suppliers have to wait months to be paid, making it impossible for them to grow, or sometimes even survive.

We know that talent survives when it is supported. This year is the 25th anniversary of Fashion East, ERDEM and Roxana.