5 Major Tech Moments That You Probably Missed At London Fashion Week SS26

If you thought the highlight of London Fashion Week was just the celeb-laden FROW at Burberry, think again.

This season, the real news happened at the intersection of couture and code, sequins and silicon, beauty and bandwidth. From scannable dresses with their own digital passports to AI debates shaking up the modelling industry, fashion’s favourite circus became a showcase for technology’s starring role in shaping what we wear, how we buy it, and even who gets paid for their face…

Below, The Modems unpacks the five most incredible technology moments you might have missed at London Fashion Week.

1. eBay’s Endless Runway x Amelia Dimoldenberg

Pre-loved got the spotlight it deserves thanks to eBay’s Endless Runway, a runway-meets-e-commerce hybrid that redefined what “see now, buy now” can mean. Top British designers including ERDEM, Ahluwalia, and Conner Ives showcased curated looks, hosted by none other than eBay’s Pre-Loved Fashion Ambassador, Amelia Dimoldenberg.

The twist? The entire show was streamed live on eBay, with every item instantly shoppable. One tap and viewers could claim a piece of the runway in real time – the fashion equivalent of Amazon Prime meets couture.

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

• 10 Best Fashion Podcasts To Listen To In 2025

• Best Fashion Tech Instagram Accounts To Follow In 2025

 

Even better, 100% of proceeds went to the BFC Foundation to support up-and-coming British design talent. The pièce de résistance? A pair of crystal drop earrings donated by Dimoldenberg herself, worn during her viral Chicken Shop Date with Andrew Garfield. “I love the idea that clothes can have more than one chapter, and the pieces on eBay’s Endless Runway are proof that fashion really can be timeless,” Dimoldenberg told eBay Live.

2. Models Fight Back Against AI

While designers sent futuristic fabrics down the catwalk, backstage the conversation turned to something far more disruptive – artificial intelligence.

The British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMA), together with The Milk Collective, used LFW to launch their My Face Is My Own campaign. The petition – signed by more than 2,300 models and backed by the British Fashion Council, Bectu, Creative UK, and others – calls on the UK Government to protect models from having their images used by AI without consent.

In a statement, the BFMA explained, “The fashion model industry contributes some £150 million to the UK economy. Models are the faces of nearly every clothing, cosmetics, haircare brand, and many more, both online and in the mainstream media. Without models there would be no London Fashion Week. Without models there would be no fashion photographers, stylists, casting agents or hair and make-up artists… Clients should not be using AI to obtain, manipulate, distribute and potentially own models’ data without their consent and without following industry-agreed principles & practices.”

The petition underscores the urgent need for regulation before generative AI tools destabilise jobs across the entire industry. Because when your face is your livelihood, deepfakes aren’t just creepy – they’re catastrophic.

3. JW Anderson Teams Up With Google Pixel

Instead of his usual catwalk theatrics, Northern Irish designer JW Anderson staged a special “evening event” with the British Fashion Council to celebrate his label’s relaunch as a lifestyle brand. The evening was powered by a surprising collaborator – Google Pixel. Together, they fused AI and artistry. Anderson used Gemini on Pixel to animate product imagery from his “Cabinet of Curiosities”, creating digital storytelling moments that blurred the line between gallery and runway.

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

•  Leomie Anderson talks hosting eBay’s show during London Fashion Week

• Here’s What The Fashion Industry Could Look Like In 2030

 

Laura Weir, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, explained, “AI is here and it must be harnessed for creative good and for fashion, it has potential to transform how we work. But this opportunity also comes with responsibility. We must approach new technologies with care and intention, not for creativity to be replaced by these tools, but to master them, shaping the future on our own terms.”

Google UK’s Vice President of Marketing, Eileen Mannion, added, “At Google Pixel, we are passionate about empowering creativity through technology, and this partnership with British Fashion Council and JW Anderson perfectly reflects our mission. AI is redefining how we tell stories, and we’re excited to show how our tools can support designers across the industry in this exciting new era for British fashion.”

4. Patrick McDowell’s Digital Product Passports

Patrick McDowell’s The Lancashire Rose collection was a deeply personal tribute to the designer’s grandmother – a fabric weaver born in 1923. The venue, Battersea Power Station’s Control Room A, pulsed with history. But it was the digital twist woven into each garment that stole the show. For the first time, every look featured a scannable Digital Product Passport (DPP) developed with connected-tech company Certilogo. A simple scan unlocks the garment’s story: materials, provenance, number of pieces produced, and even future updates.

“You scan it and get access to everything, like the story [tied to the show], the material journey, the number of pieces made,” McDowell told reporters before the show, “We can even update it later, so if something new connects to the piece, the client finds out first. It’s a way of keeping in touch, even when the client can’t be in the room.” With the EU requiring DPPs for all textiles by 2026, McDowell isn’t just ahead of the curve – he’s making sustainability emotional, intimate, and digital.

5. Karina Bond’s 3D-Printed Future

If LFW is about spotting tomorrow’s talent, Karina Bond must be light-years years ahead. The Central Saint Martins alum and Sarabande Foundation scholar unveiled her SS26 collection The Midnight Sun a show that fused couture with 3D printing.

“Making fashion for the year 3025,” reads Bond’s Instagram bio, and “3D printing is the future of fashion.” And she’s not exaggerating. Already spotted on celebrities from Tasha Ghouri to Elton John (whose Glastonbury performance featured a Bond design on BBC presenter Jo Whiley), her futuristic creations have caught the attention of Vogue, Dazed, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• 5 Best Fashion Tech Moments from AW25 Fashion Month

• New York Fashion Week Is Set To Host A Global Beauty & Fashion AI Forum

 

Her 21 ready-to-wear and couture looks were constructed from biocompatible, biodegradable filaments like TPU and PLA – painstakingly drawn “from thin air” with a 3D pen. (Zero waste never looked this extra.) The finale “Desert Rose” gown featured 5,000 hand-drawn discs inspired by crystalline desert formations. Bond also debuted accessories, from 3D-printed handbags to jewellery co-created with designer Vicki Sarge. Each piece pushed the boundaries between sculpture and clothing.

SS26 Tech Trends:

London Fashion Week has always been a place where tradition meets rebellion, but this season it was about something bigger – how tech is reshaping the entire fashion ecosystem. Whether it’s protecting human rights in the age of AI, embedding digital identities into garments, or reimagining couture with 3D pens, the message is clear: the future of fashion isn’t just about fabric. It’s about data, code, and creativity colliding in ways we’ve only just begun to imagine.