London Fashion Week has a long and complicated history with animal rights, even after it brought in its official fur ban in 2023. But this season it wasn’t just activists pledging their allegiance to furry friends, as the streets were flooded with animal iconography, from swathes of big cat prints, to creepy crawlies and cutecore teddy bear charms. As ever, Dazed sent photographer and longtime contributor Yu Fujiwara out on safari to capture some of the highlights, including Chopova Lowena stans in jewel-encrusted dog portrait shirts, a full tannery’s-worth of animal hides in a single look (we count snake, cheetah, leopard, and tiger skins), and a couple of real pups along for the ride.
The leopard print we mentioned earlier? That was everywhere, finding its way into eclectic odes to the frazzled English woman and mohair outerwear alike. On the cuter, cartoonish end of the scale, Yuhan Wang’s teddy bear tank tops proved a fan favourite, while bugs and butterflies flitted between guests as they queued for shows, making a brave attempt to rewild central London. Elsewhere, people paid tribute to the dearly departed creatures of this world, drawing focus to their grisly remains via fossil shirts and (literal) skull tattoos.
Then more teddies popped up in the form of rucksacks and Beanie Baby handbag charms (see also: bags jangling with adorable little creatures from the Studio Ghibli universe). In fact, when it comes to the accessories of SS25’s best-dressed, Noah’s ark would be strapped for space. As canines dominated in the clothes department, more bags took on various shapes of cat, or served as an exhibition space for National Geographic-style cheetah pics. And who can forget the puffin clutch that JW Anderson added to his flock earlier this year? The natural world might be burning all around us, but this season it seems at least fashion fans are feeling the call of the wild.
Scroll through the gallery above to see London embrace its animal instincts.