Caroline Rush Reflects on 16 Years of Transformation at British Fashion Council

As Caroline Rush prepares to step down as CEO of the British Fashion Council after 16 transformative years, she reflects on her journey in shaping London Fashion Week into a global fashion powerhouse. In this exclusive interview, she shares insights on the dynamic role of London Fashion Week, its commitment to sustainability, and the growing significance of the MENA region in global fashion. With an eye on the future, Rush discusses how emerging talents from Dubai, Beirut, and Riyadh are making their mark, and her vision for deeper collaborations between London and the Middle East in the years to come. 

What were some highlights from the most recent London Fashion Week?

There was so much to be excited about this season! London is the home of incredible creatives and this season was no different with boundless creativity pouring out of the shows and an incredible international community of fashion leaders here championing them to thrive. The shows were packed with excitement and new perspectives, with our BFC NEWGEN designers giving us unfiltered access into their worlds, from LUEDER’s day rave to Kazna Asker’s souk. Burberry was a stand out show, alongside the brilliant ERDEM, ROKSANDA, Simone Rocha, Richard Quinn and it was a joy to see Ashish’s brilliant return. 

What is it about London Fashion Week that sets it apart from Paris, Milan, and New York? 

Despite challenges, London continually stands out as one of the four major fashion capitals, known for its creativity, community, and cultural impact. LFW plays a crucial role in showcasing both emerging and established talent, pushing the boundaries of fashion with each show. The city’s vibrant fashion scene, supported by leading fashion and art institutions, reinforces London’s status as a global fashion hub and our designers are renowned for their unwavering resilience and ingenuity. 

Sustainability in fashion has been in particular focus in recent months and years. How is London Fashion Week 2025 pushing the industry towards more ethical and environmentally conscious practices? 

Sustainability and circularity are key priorities for LFW, the British Fashion Council and our Institute of Positive Fashion, and we are committed to providing our network with tools and resources to support them on the journey to creative more sustainable brands. Earlier this year, we announced our collaboration with Copenhagen Fashion Week to implement their Minimum Standards across our BFC NEWGEN initiative with a key focus on ESG strategies, diversity and inclusion policies and sustainable material use. The collaboration with the brilliant team at CPHFW reflects our shared belief that collective action is key to addressing industry challenges and we’ve had a really encouraging reaction both from designers and the wider industry. It’s something I’m so pleased to see come to fruition. LFW was also recently the first of the big four fashion weeks to ban exotic animal skins from shows from 2025 – the biggest industry event to do so. 

Given the climate crisis, do you think luxury fashion can still justify the traditional show format, or do you see a move towards more sustainable alternatives in the coming years? What would that look like? 

Designers need to be dynamic and incredibly strategic in their choices on how and when they show for many reasons, from financial to environmental. While I do think there will always be a place for some level of the traditional show format, we are in constant conversation with our designers to best understand their needs and what works for their ethics, objectives and finances. London Fashion Week is and will always be a flexible and evolving platform that encourages designers to showcase their collections in a way they believe best suits their brand. 

The MENA region is evolving and starting to play a growing, significant role in global fashion. Do you see London Fashion Week fostering deeper ties with emerging fashion capitals like Dubai, Beirut, and Riyadh? 

Absolutely – Dubai, Beirut, and Riyadh pay a major role in the global fashion scene. Each season, we invite key press and buyers from across the region to attend London Fashion Week as part of our international guest programme. In 2023, we also collaborated with the AlUla Creates Fashion Programme to showcase the best emerging female designers from Saudi Arabia and provide them with the opportunity to receive global recognition for their talent. As part of the programme, the three designers, Alia and Abeer Olaif of Atelier Hekayat and Arwa Al Ammari of ArAm, attended London Fashion Week shows and I co-hosted a trunk show and afternoon tea for them to connect with local press and buyers – it was a brilliant opportunity to utilise LFW to platform Saudi designers. We have also had a relationship with the Arab Fashion Council, allowing us to nurture and discover Arabic fashion talent and also acknowledging the importance of the market for British brands. Looking forward, we hope to engage in more similar partnerships – London naturally possesses an environment that attracts global design talent and we want to encourage connections with the fashion capitals of the Middle East as much as possible. 

We’ve seen more models from the Global South on international runways, but Arab and Muslim representation still remains rare. How can the industry address this gap? 

Since I joined the BFC 15 years ago, there has been progress in terms of representation on the catwalk but reflecting on London today, there is still much more to be done. I think that the runways should be a true reflection of the city and the people who live in it. The BFC uses our platform to provide brands, including those on our schedule, with information so that they can make informed choices that reflect their creative vision. We are also in frequent communication with our fashion council counterparts and continue to share our experiences, challenges and best practices so we can collectively accelerate positive change on a global scale. 

Are there any designers from the MENA region you’re looking forward to? 

This season we had a brilliant partnership with Morocco, Kingdom of Light. As part of the partnership, they put on an incredible show, bringing over two Moroccan designers, Maison Sara Chraïbi & Maison ArtC, who both lean into traditional Moroccan design techniques to inform their collections. We also saw a powerful presentation from Kazna Asker, who transported guests to a vibrant souk with local smells, tastes and market stalls – her designs seamlessly blending Middle-Eastern fabrics with tracksuits and nylons. Noor by Noor also showcased a beautiful collection at Somerset House, inspired by the architectural landscape of Bahrain. 

You’re credited with uplifting the reputation of London Fashion Week. As you step down as CEO of the British Fashion Council later this year, how do you look back at the 16 years you spent in the role? 

As I step out of my final season as CEO of the British Fashion Council, it’s bittersweet. I am of course reflecting on the extraordinary evolution of this industry—where we’ve come from and, most importantly, where we’re headed next, and what we need to get there. We all know that the industry is facing huge challenges but I firmly believe that creativity flourishes in difficult times which I have seen time and time again over the past 16 years. Our designers are hugely resilient and I am happy to be passing the baton onto the brilliant Laura Weir – I know the BFC is in great hands.