Ahead of London Fashion Week, Patrick McDowell is doing things differently

Patrick McDowell — the independent designer known for crafting limited-edition, made-to-order garments — is stepping away from the traditional runway format this Autumn/Winter 2025 season.

Instead of showing at London Fashion Week, McDowell has chosen to partner with mycelium technology company Ecovative. What exactly is mycelium technology, we hear you ask? By harnessing the power of biology, Ecovative (which was formed in 2007) transforms industries, ranging from food and fashion to packaging and construction. It does this by growing materials through cutting-edge mycelium (a network of thread-like fungal filaments that extends through soil and other substrates) bio-fabrication processes.

McDowell is a global design ambassador for Ecovative, and together, the pair hosted an intimate dinner at Aqua Nueva in London last night. "This season, we wanted to take a step back from the traditional show format and instead create a space for meaningful conversations and shared experiences,” said McDowell. “Fashion is as much about the people who wear it as it is about the garments themselves, and we are excited to celebrate this moment with our extended family of collaborators, supporters, and friends."

McDowell is a global design ambassador for Ecovative, and together, the pair hosted an intimate dinner at Aqua Nueva in London last night. "This season, we wanted to take a step back from the traditional show format and instead create a space for meaningful conversations and shared experiences,” said McDowell. “Fashion is as much about the people who wear it as it is about the garments themselves, and we are excited to celebrate this moment with our extended family of collaborators, supporters, and friends."

Rather than creating a new collection, guests were invited to wear their favourite pieces from the Patrick McDowell brand to celebrate community and meaningful relationships within the fashion industry. Guests included Nicola Roberts, Munroe Bergdorf and Sarah Mower.

This comes ahead of McDowell’s new capsule collection, created in partnership with yet another bio-innovation company, Huue. Huue focuses on sustainable colour production, and McDowell will debut three bespoke looks which feature the company’s bio-synthetic indigo dye.

This marks a pivotal milestone for the Patrick McDowell brand as it continues to lead the industry into a cleaner future, becoming the first luxury designer to utilise Huue’s eco-conscious alternative to traditional toxic dyes.

Unlike conventional indigo, Huue’s biosynthetic dye is five times less toxic, skin-friendly, and designed to reduce the environmental footprint of the dyeing process.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Patrick McDowell to bring Huue’s biosynthetic indigo to luxury fashion.,” said Corinna Chen, Huue CEO and Material Impact Partner. “Partnering with Patrick McDowell and United Textile Mills on this collaboration shows how bio-based colors can seamlessly integrate into the fashion supply chains, enabling brands to create beautiful products that align with their sustainability goals without compromising on style and quality.”

The collection — which includes a fitted shirt, corseted tulle dress and wide legged trousers — will be available on Patrick McDowell’s website from 17/02.