By Tautahi Subritzky

With London being a hub for youth culture, not only did the collections reflect a sense of youthful energy where the clothing was involved but it was also echoed in the decisions that were made with regard to hair and beauty. Playfulness met pretty met punk in many of the collections and we were all about it.

Embracing Individuality was a standout concept that many of the designers aimed to communicate in their shows, both to those attending and to their wider audience. This meant that we saw many iterations of hair and beauty trends on the runway, with some embracing the Clean Girl aesthetic while others went full-on grunge, there was also a touch of romance and glamour too. LFW had it all.

There’s truly no better way than to show you. So scroll through to see our hair and beauty highlights from LFW Spring/Summer 2024.

After a 4-year hiatus from the London shows, Ashish made his highly anticipated return for Spring/Summer 2024. Known for bringing extravagance and glamour when it comes to his sequin-rich designs, this season Ashish was seemingly inspired by dreams, creating a sex-positive and body-positive world where he wants everyone to have fun. It was a celebration of individuality no matter who you were or where you came from.

Famed hairstylist Sam McKnight created looks that catered to each individual character within this Ashish dreamscape. This saw Marilyn Monroe bobs, big textured hair (à la Pat Cleveland), beehives, mullets and punky spikes all invited to the party and we really want to be on that guest list.

Like the collection itself, every colour of the rainbow was featured where the beauty was involved and just like the collection too, it was bold. Jewelled lashes and glittered shadows in varying shades were blended up to the brow, the Marilyn Monroe reference returned for some in the form of a sculpted red lip. Any thought of “quiet luxury” was thrown out the window and we loved it! Kudos Ashish.

Hair: Sam McKnight
MU: Terry Barber for MAC

This was the testament made by Ashley Williams for her Spring/Summer 2024 presentation, where peasants from mediaeval times were re-imagined and transported to a post-apocalyptic world in the year 3000. But what does the end of the world look like and more importantly what would the hair look like? According to key hair stylist Alex Brownsell, it would be long, dishevelled and pastel pink.

Alongside the models' natural hair, which was loosely styled, falling from beaten-up trucker caps or concealed under baby cardigans-cum-beanies, wigs were used throughout the show and came complete with split ends, unkempt textures and exaggerated lengths.

For beauty, Isamaya Ffrench created a red under-eye look with little fake tears that made the models look weepy. “They are, as many of us are, upset about the state of the world”, both in this post-apocalyptic world that Williams has created and in the world we’re living in now. Thought-provoking and trag-chic.

Hair: Alex Brownsell
MU: Isamaya Ffrench

For Daniel Lee’s second outing at LFW as the Chief Creative Director for Burberry,
It was all about minimalist tailoring with a print and pattern focus. Of course, the trench was the hero of the show, reworked to add a sense of newness but without venturing too far from the brand's core DNA. The looks felt classic but fresh.

This feeling was also reflected in beauty with complexions that echoed the quality that traditionally accompanies a brisk walk in the English countryside. Lips were largely bare except for a touch of lip balm while skin had a faint pink glow, both on the cheeks and tip of the nose. Occasionally, a more gothic glam make-up made an appearance with some models sporting dark lipstick, adding an ‘alternative’ edge to many of the more utilitarian looks.

The hair was also divided into two stories with some models' hair being simply centre parted and left long, while others were slicked back and windswept. It was clean, simple and very Burberry.

Hair: Shiori Takahashi
MU: Ammy Drammeh

For Spring/Summer 2024, cult brand Chopova Lowena took their “goth dolls” to the skate park, blending memories of youthful crushes on skater boys with the brand's folklore narrative and streetwear references that, of course, had a gothic undertone. The collection featured their signature tartan kilts layered with matching wide leg trousers, graffiti-covered hoodies, and layered chain belts. Ruching, lace and floral motifs were toughened with jump rings and lace up detailing. It was playful yet “don’t f*ck with me” all at the same time.

Our favourite part, other than the clothing, was of course the braided hair butterflies sculpted by Kiyoko Odo, which were attached to the hair and blended with braids. The effect was seamless and looked as if the butterflies were woven out of the hair itself. We LOVE an unexpected hair moment like this.

For beauty, the look was very “dolly” indeed. Flushed rosy cheeks and dewy skin were standard, with the occasional mismatched eyeshadow look in an eclectic hue of teal and purple that tied the playful colour palette of the clothes into the make-up.

Hair: Kiyoko Odo
MU: Ana Takahashi

Edward Crutchley’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection took inspiration from a multitude of references but mostly looked at the juxtaposition between all of them. Building on the crisp black and white ensembles from his previous collection, this season Crutchley explored a 17th-century sports aesthetic with a bit of zebra, harlequin, latex and Steven Meisel thrown in for good measure. What resulted was a collection that contrasted the old with the new, the conservative with the seductive and the traditional with the modern.

With beauty, the monochromatic vibe continued with a smoked-out obsidian eye and black lipstick which contrasted with the latex face masks and bald caps worn by select models.

Hair was glossy-yet-undone with simple buns sitting at varying heights.
Some of the buns were braided using mediaeval techniques but shaped in a futuristic way, further cementing the contrasting narrative present throughout the collection.

Hair: Johanna Cree Brown
MU: Michelle Dacillo

For her Spring/Summer 2024 collection Emilia Wickstead went coastal, more specifically, to the French Riviera through the 1920’s and 30’s, where the region became an artists playground and free-thinking female creatives challenged the status quo.

With a brief that looked to encapsulate a “fresh from a day at the beach” mood, beauty was paired back and sun-kissed with a melted metallic eye and a sheer nude lip. Hair was minimal and loose, with natural texture being embraced to give a “just dried after a splash in the ocean” feeling.

Hair: Syd Hayes
MU: Petros Petrohilos

JW Anderson’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection was a study of “genericness” and
“Finding Strangeness in the Mundane”, with a show that highlights the fact that the banal can be very cool, especially if it’s made from plasticine.

The hair was equally as casual and undone, and looked as if you’d just jumped out of bed, thrown on whatever was on the floor and gone on with your day. Whether the model’s hair was straight, curly or anything in between, nothing was poker-straight or super refined. Keep it chill and don’t care too much, et voilà! You’ve achieved the look.

Hair: Anthony Turner
MU: Lynsey Alexander

Masha Popova put pedal to the metal for her Spring/Summer 2024 collection, with garments that looked as if they’d been run over by monster trucks. Muddy tyre tracks and wheel splatters became prints on trouser hems and tops. The Y2K trend was fully embraced but with a “petrol-head heroine” twist.

The “worn-in” faded glamour was amplified by hair that was wet, shaggy and vibrantly hued. It was punk meets grunge at a monster-truck rally. An ode to emos and those with an “alternative” spirit.

Hair: Janina Zais
MU: Grace Ellington

It was an 80’s explosion at Matty Bovan Spring/Summer 2024, with the designer's use of over-the-top tulle, wide shoulders and glitter galore! The garments, which resembled deconstructed 80’s American Prom dresses, were overloaded with fabrics in clashing colours and textures, we seriously couldn’t get enough.

Beauty was equally as unkempt with glitter and blue eyeshadow smeared on and off the lid which continued into some of the models hair. Painted patches and dyed streaks featured throughout many of the additional hair looks and added to the “post-party” vibe that Bovan wanted to create.

Hair: Claire Grech
MU: Miranda Joyce

Molly Goddard’s research took her to the UK’s National Theatre Costume Hire, it was here she found inspiration for her Spring/Summer 2024 collection. Goddard extrapolated ideas from the inner workings of historical garments and utilised them in a collection that was turned “inside out”.

Taking this idea of “revealing what is usually concealed”, key hair stylist Gary Gill paired sleek low ponytails/buns with “strap-on” colour block fringes in contrasting shades to the models' hair. The fringes were attached to ribbons and tied at the nape of the neck, with no attempt to hide their artificial quality.

For beauty, the “clean girl” aesthetic was presented with Molly Goddard teaming up with NZ-based skincare brand Emma Lewisham, resulting in a make-up look that was natural and barely there (other than the odd graphic black eyeliner look). A gentle facial massage was also given to the models to stimulate blood flow and give the complexion a fresh-faced glow.

Hair: Gary Gill
MU: Thom Walker

If you haven’t heard about the Ballet-core trend yet, Patrick McDowell is here to help. For his Spring/Summer 2024 collection, ballet shoe prints, sheer tulle layers and reworked ballet skirts all came together to create a collection that was equally as pretty as it was dark and gothic.

The hair and make-up didn’t shy away from this mood either. Distressed ballet buns were affixed with scrunchies and added a slight grunge feel to the overall presentation, while pencilled thin eyebrows and lightly blushed cheeks complemented the collection's dark theatricality.

Hair: Christophe Potin
MU: Dominic Skinner for MAC

The house codes of Simone Rocha were artfully presented once again for Spring/Summer 2024. Tulle, Leather, ribbons, pearls, crystals and floral detailing were combined into a collection that was as exuberant as it was extravagant, in a particular way that only Rocha can do.

The hair was understated, locks were left loose and lightly styled, with everything from braids to bobs bearing an undone, everyday appeal.

Faces were adorned with whimsical roses, reminiscent of having your face painted at a fair or something more permanent like a facial tattoo. It was a culmination of all things Simone Rocha. Hard meets soft, pretty meets punk. We adored.

Hair: Cyndia Harvey
MU: Thomas De Kluyver