London Fashion Week Feb 2026 keeps show fees at zero: what the BFC’s move means for smaller designers

London Fashion Week can feel glamorous from the outside, but for many brands the biggest pressure point is simple: the cost of showing. That’s why one of the most practical headlines around London Fashion Week (19–23 February 2026) isn’t a runway moment at all — it’s a policy choice.

For the second season in a row, the British Fashion Council (BFC) is waiving show fees for designers presenting physically on the main schedule at London Fashion Week.

London Fashion Week Feb 2026: What the BFC has confirmed

Across multiple reports and BFC messaging around the February 2026 season, the key point is consistent:

• The BFC will continue to waive show fees for designers who are presenting physically on the main schedule.

• This is framed as a continuation of the approach introduced under BFC CEO Laura Weir.

• The policy was already in place for September 2025, and February 2026 is explicitly described as the second season with show fees waived.

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London Fashion Week’s official dates for the February 2026 season are Thursday 19 February to Monday 23 February 2026.

What “show fees” means here — and what changes in practice

The important detail is eligibility: the waiver applies to designers presenting physically and on the main schedule.

That matters because the main schedule is the central calendar that the industry follows — the part that typically dictates who gets the concentration of press, buyers, and wider attention during the week. The waiver removes a direct cost barrier tied to being listed and presenting in that core slot.

The BFC has positioned this as a designer-support measure — one intended to reduce financial pressure on brands participating in the official programme.

Who benefits most (based on what’s been reported)

Because the policy is linked to presenting physically on the main schedule, the most direct beneficiaries are:

1) Smaller independent brands showing on-scheduleCoverage describing the fee waiver repeatedly frames it as a “major win” or relief for smaller brands — not because it changes taste or trends, but because it directly lowers a cost of participation.

2) Emerging designers in the BFC ecosystem (including those supported by BFC programmes)London Fashion Week is widely described as a platform known for emerging talent, and reports discussing the February 2026 season mention the fee waiver alongside existing BFC support structures (such as NEWGEN and Fashion Trust).

3) Designers aiming for international attention in a tougher marketSeparately, the BFC has also said it is doubling investment in the LFW International Guest Programme (to bring more international press, cultural commentators and buyers to London). While that’s a different initiative, it sits in the same package of changes around the season — and it’s relevant because any increase in international attendance potentially strengthens the upside of being on the main schedule.

Why the BFC is doing it (what’s on the record)

Reporting on Laura Weir’s early strategic changes at the BFC links the fee waiver to a broader attempt to make London Fashion Week more attractive and supportive in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic environment — including rebuilding international pull and reducing designer burdens.

In plain terms: the BFC is trying to remove barriers to participation and keep designers showing in London — and the show-fee waiver is one of the most immediate levers it can pull.

What we don’t know (and won’t guess)

To stay factual: the public reporting around the February 2026 season confirms the waiver exists and who it applies to (physical main-schedule presenters). It does not consistently publish:

• the exact historical fee amounts for every type of participant,

• whether every format outside “physical main schedule” is included, or

• a precise breakdown of savings per brand.

  
  

So the clean takeaway is not “this guarantees success” — it’s simply that one defined cost associated with presenting on the main schedule is being removed again for February 2026.

The real impact: less friction, more runway

For emerging luxury designers, the change is not about hype — it’s about viability. Showing physically in London is still a major production and logistics undertaking. But by keeping show fees waived for the second season, the BFC is making the official calendar slightly less punishing at the point where many smaller brands feel the squeeze most.

And in a week where attention is finite, anything that helps a designer get onto the main schedule — and stay there — can be the difference between being seen as part of London’s story, or happening off to the side.