The wild secrets of London Fashion Week as it celebrates its 40th anniversary

IT'S the hottest ticket in the fashion world, with celebrities, supermodels and influencers all vying for a coveted spot in the “Frow,” or front row.

But the reach of London Fashion Week – which celebrates its 40th anniversary this Friday – goes far beyond the glitzy designer shows and A-list parties.

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Since its humble beginnings in a Kensington car park in 1984, the annual event has shaped our lives and taken the lead in British culture.

It was the inspiration behind Absolutely Fabulous, kicked off Cool Britannia and launched the catwalk careers of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Cara Delevingne.

But the event was also always controversial: one designer threw dead fish into the crowd and models even paraded naked on the catwalk.

From rows over 'heroin chic' to the infamous Naomi Campbell tumble, we're celebrating four decades of London Fashion Week.

The 80's

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The brainchild of PR queen Lynne Franks and the British Fashion Council, the capital's first Fashion Week had a far from glamorous setting: a tent in the car park of the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, west London.

But designers like Vivienne Westwood and Betty Jackson were present from the start.

Recent graduate John Galliano caused a sensation in 1984 with his French Revolution-themed show, throwing dead fish into the crowd in a striking debut in a stellar career.

Galliano was also responsible for Kate Moss appearing on the LFW runway as a 15-year-old in 1989.

The same year she was on the cover of The Face magazine and became Britain's most famous model.

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher saw the festival as a way to attract trade to Britain and hosted a reception for LFW designers at Number 10, which was hijacked by Katharine Hamnett, who took off her coat in front of the guests to launch an anti-nuclear weapon – T-shirt to reveal.

Princess Diana was an early LFW supporter, hosting a reception in 1988 and attending in subsequent years.

In the late 1980s, LFW inspired Jennifer Saunders to create the characters Edina and Patsy in the TV hit Ab Fab.

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The 90's

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LFW was at the heart of the Cool Britannia movement of the 1990s, which saw the rise of Britpop bands such as Blur and Oasis, the Young British Artists including Damien Hirst, and fashion icons led by Kate Moss.

The supermodel was also at the forefront of the 'heroin chic' trend, which favored pale, emaciated models with dark circles under the eyes.

But heralding the later trend for plus-size models, Roald Dahl's granddaughter Sophie made her LFW debut in designer Lainey Keogh's show in the unlikely setting of the Cobden Working Men's Club in west London in 1997.

Kylie Minogue was one of the first non-model celebs to join in, starring opposite Antonio Berardi in 1995.

Among the dramas of LFW, Naomi Campbell fell on Vivienne Westwood's catwalk in 1993.

In 1999, model Shalom Harlow's white dress was spray-painted by robots in the finale of Alexander McQueen's show.

McQueen's first collection, Taxi Driver, was from 1993, and two years later he shocked audiences with his show Highland Rape, which featured models in torn clothes symbolizing the historic 'rape' of Scotland by England.

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2000s

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Recently departed Spice Girl Victoria Beckham used Fashion Week to mark her transition from singing to couture when she made her catwalk debut for designer Maria Grachvogel in 2000.

She became an ambassador for Dolce & Gabbana and designed a line for jeans brand Rock & Republic before starting her own label in 2006.

Singer Bjork also made headlines after she bought a swan-shaped dress from Marjan Pejoski's 2001 show before famously wearing it to the Oscars and dropping eggs as she walked the red carpet.

The backlash against heroin chic and zero-size models came to a head in 2006 after the tragic death of 22-year-old Uruguayan star Luisel Ramos, who died of heart failure after living on lettuce leaves and Diet Coke for three months.

Madrid Fashion Week banned models with a body mass index of less than 18.5, but London Fashion Week bosses did not follow suit, leading to a backlash from celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz.

But the 1990s also saw a growth in the plus-size trend, which had been pioneered by Sophie Dahl and others in the 1990s.

And pop met fashion again in 2008 when Prince performed at a Matthew Williamson show.

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Years 2010/2020

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IN 2010, LFW saw the debut of 18-year-old Cara Delevingne who walked for Burberry's Christopher Bailey.

The designer had discovered that she was working part-time in the company's offices.

The decade sparked controversy at Fashion Week, when French wigmaker Charlie Le Mindu sent models down the runway in 2010 in nothing but hats, wigs and sky-high platform boots.

In 2017, lingerie-clad models were kicked off the red carpet during a protest by animal rights group Peta, and Extinction Rebellion staged a 'funeral' at the 2019 LFW final.

The call for A-listers in the front row accelerated, with Harry Styles stealing the spotlight in 2013, along with Sienna Miller, Kelly Osbourne and Dita Von Teese.

Even the late Queen gave the event royal approval when she joined Vogue boss Anna Wintour for Richard Quinn's show in 2018, and a year later then-Prince Charles teamed up with sustainable designers Vin + Omi to promote their LFW collection .

These days, the event is more of a celebrity circus than ever, with Instagram-loving stars like Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum attending in droves.

Last year, Kanye West and partner Bianca Censori stole the show in contrasting black and white outfits.

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