Meet the Designers at Fashion Show Live AW26

It’s Saturday 21^st February 2026 and I’m at Fashion Show Live with fellow creative junkie, Naya Antonio. We’re at the Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, London to soak up the  heady backstage vibes and talk to the creatives behind the magic to be showcased at the afternoon show.

First stop: Meet Eddie, the mastermind behind sustainable brand, WorNotWasted

Armed with his ‘zero waste’ methodology and  a collection that shows the versatility of different styles, Eddie is  on a  mission to prove to the industry that ‘creative clothes can be made without producing any waste. It’s more of a mindset than technique because zero waste can be used with traditional methods’. His entire collection has been produced without any offcuts. But doesn’t this lofty objective get in the way of creativity? Turns out the answer is not really- in fact it often fuels it.

Meet Rahela, Ethiopian designer-cum-cultural ambassador with a passion for suits. She explains to Naya:

“ I just want to show the world my culture a lot of people don’t know about my country. My aspiration is to show my culture. I love mixing the traditional with the Western style.”

Meet Tawa, a designer on a mission to empower women to live courageously. “Just be you and just ignore whatever the outside world is saying. Just be within yourself and know who you are.”

For Tawa this is deeply personal. Raised in a strict religious home which forbade her creative leanings, the battle to be her authentic self has been the backdrop to much of her childhood and adult life. A battle she has had to fight (and won) with courage and self-belief.