Iconic British brands will be showcasing their designs at London Fashion Week from Thursday against a difficult background for the luxury good sector and challenges in the high street.

Upmarket brands including Barbour, Burberry, McQueen and Mulberry will be among those unveiling collections. These four will be emphasising their mix of British heritage and contemporary cool.

But high street stalwart Marks & Spencer, which moved into clothing 100 years ago and now tops the YouGov style credential polls, will also be staging its first ever London Fashion womenswear and menswear show at noon on Friday. 

Those attending the event will be able to purchase everything from 12.30pm through the website or in major stores. A video will be streamed online at 6.30pm, giving everyone else the chance to do so. The deployment of this ‘see-now, buy-now’ format, pioneered by Burberry in 2016, underlines M&S’s confidence that it has definitely ditched its frumpy reputation.

On Thursday Barbour, the 132-year old family-owned company famed for its waxed jackets with tartan linings which sell in 55 countries and are worn by the Princess of Wales, will showcase its collection at the Saatchi Gallery. Barbour’s Bedale and Beaufort jackets are still made in its factory in South Shields.

On Saturday, McQueen show will be under scrutiny by fashionistas and luxury goods analysts. This couture house, founded by the late Alexander McQueen, dresses the Princess of Wales for formal occasions.

But its interest to the City lies in its ownership. McQueen is a division of the French luxury giant Kering whose empire also includes Gucci. Kering shares are down by 21 per cent this year and by 65 per cent over the past five years. The luxury goods industry has been hard hit by the Chinese consumer slowdown, higher costs and geopolitical tensions.

Shares in Mulberry, the Somerset-based luxury handbag company, are moving upwards, however, jumping by 165 per cent since January. This is thanks to a return to sales growth driven by an emphasis its artisan roots.

When the company displays its lines on Saturday, some will be watching whether Mike Ashley, founder of Frasers, will be in the audience.

Frasers has a 37 per cent stake in Mulberry. His 2024 takeover bid for the business failed. But Ashley is eager to expand his luxury ‘eco-system’ to which he recently added the Knightsbridge store Harvey Nichols.

Burberry, the outerwear group founded in 1856, closes London Fashion Week on Monday September 21. The 19 per cent fall in the shares this year means that it must demonstrate its appeal to younger aspirational shoppers.

Burberry, a brand still in turnaround, has been successfully winning back this clientele. But sentiment remains depressed. Analysts will be looking for pieces that appeal to Americans of all ages. In the US money made from artificial intelligence (AI) stocks is currently pushing up demand for Burberry’s classic trenchcoats and its Cotswold bag, pieces that aim to exemplify the best of Britishness.