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Paul Costelloe Looks to Equestrian World in London Fashion Week Show

A model presents a creation by Irish designer Paul Costelloe during London Fashion Week, in London, Britain, 21 February 2025. (EPA)
A model presents a creation by Irish designer Paul Costelloe during London Fashion Week, in London, Britain, 21 February 2025. (EPA)
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Paul Costelloe Looks to Equestrian World in London Fashion Week Show

A model presents a creation by Irish designer Paul Costelloe during London Fashion Week, in London, Britain, 21 February 2025. (EPA)
A model presents a creation by Irish designer Paul Costelloe during London Fashion Week, in London, Britain, 21 February 2025. (EPA)

Irish designer Paul Costelloe drew inspiration from the equestrian world for his latest collection at London Fashion Week on Friday, showing jodhpur-shaped culottes, tweeds and prints featuring show jumpers.

Costelloe's autumn-winter 2025 line included dressage-like fitted jackets and structured skirts and shorts, sometimes paired with caps and long boots. Models also wore feminine coats and voluminous dresses.

"The theme is ... showing my vintage, dating back to when I launched a collection called 'Dressage', so it's quite equestrian," Costelloe, 79, told Reuters. "It's got lovely tweeds ... but we've made it a little more raunchy maybe."

Costelloe chose autumnal hues for his color palette - brown, amber and red - as well as cream and black. His outfits bore check as well as floral patterns.

Turkish designer Bora Aksu said his latest collection was inspired by Austrian-Hungarian Empress Elisabeth. Models wore structured coats and jackets with delicate, embroidered chiffon and lace dresses.

The collection, mainly in white, cream, red, purple and blue, also featured long tiered skirts, blouses with bows and layered frocks. Some models wore veils over their faces and long gloves.

"She was one of those characters that I was drawn to because she was, I think, so misunderstood," Aksu said. "People could only see her as... (Empress Elisabeth) but ... she was into poetry, she was into writing. She was doing beautiful drawings."

Running February 20-24, London is the second leg of the autumn-winter 2025 catwalk calendar, which began in New York and will go to Milan and Paris.

On the program are emerging designers as well as more established brands including Burberry, Erdem and Roksanda. London is known for its fashion schools and for nurturing talent that has gone on to work at some of the world's biggest luxury labels.

In a bid to provide commercial support for designers, there will be a fashion week pop-up shop on Regent Street in central London.

"It is a particularly challenging time at the moment, in the UK ... because we are still focusing really on sort of overcoming the trade barriers of being out of the EU," Caroline Rush, outgoing CEO of the British Fashion Council, told Reuters.

"The shop is really an opportunity to showcase the brilliant designers that we have," she said.

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Fashion

Primark Boss Marchant Resigns after 'Error of Judgment'

A Primark store is seen on Oxford Street, in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
A Primark store is seen on Oxford Street, in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
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Primark Boss Marchant Resigns after 'Error of Judgment'

A Primark store is seen on Oxford Street, in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
A Primark store is seen on Oxford Street, in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

The head of fast fashion chain Primark, Paul Marchant, has resigned with immediate effect after he admitted an "error of judgment" towards a woman in a social environment.
Parent-company Associated British Foods said in a statement on Monday that Marchant had accepted his actions fell below the standards expected, and the head of the 14 billion pound conglomerate said he was "immensely disappointed".
Primark has over 450 stores in 17 countries across Europe and the United States, with Marchant growing operating profit from about 250 million pounds to over a billion pounds during his more than 15 years in charge, Reuters reported.
Primark, founded in Ireland and has a huge presence on British high streets, contributes about half of group profit to AB Foods, which also owns major grocery, sugar, agriculture and ingredients businesses.
Shares in the parent company were trading down 3.5% on Monday morning.
"I am immensely disappointed. At ABF, we believe that high standards of integrity are essential," said CEO George Weston.
"Acting responsibly is the only way to build and manage a business over the long term. Colleagues and others must be treated with respect and dignity. Our culture has to be, and is, bigger than any one individual."
The group said that Marchant had cooperated with an investigation led by external lawyers, and acknowledged his "error of judgment".
It said he had apologized to the individual concerned, the group's board and also to his Primark colleagues and others connected to the business.
Eoin Tonge, AB Foods' finance director, will act as Primark chief executive on an interim basis working with the senior Primark management team and Primark's Strategic Advisory Board, while Joana Edwards, AB Foods' financial controller, will act as interim finance director.
"It is, indeed, a very disappointing, to say the least, end for Mr. Marchant and all at Primark and ABF, where he has overseen the development of a fine value-based retailer with strong prospects for growth," said analysts at Shore Capital.
AB Foods said the group would continue to offer support to the individual who brought this behavior to its attention.