What to watch for at London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week (LFW) kicks off on Friday, with 83 designers heading to the UK capital to showcase their Autumn / Winter 2016 collections.

Revered fashion house Alexander McQueen will return to the schedule for the first time in over a decade for AW16, under the guidance of Creative Director Sarah Burton. The brand will show alongside headline names including Belstaff, Burberry, Christopher Kane, Gareth Pugh, J.W.Anderson and Paul Smith. Pringle of Scotland, Sibling, and Vivienne Westwood will also feature on the calendar.

Leather goods brand Mulberry is also making a return to the event, under the direction of new Creative Director Johnny Coca. Meanwhile, newcomers include shoes and accessories brand Charlotte Olympia, which will host its first catwalk show this season, and Belgium brand A.F. Vandevorst.

Another highlight will be the Topshop Unique show, which fashion photographer Nick Knight has been lined up to shoot, and which will be unveiled in real time on the brand's Instagram account.

For the first time in LFW history, around 35 million people across the UK will see content from the proceedings, including runway shows, on 60 outside screens in nine different cities thanks to a collaboration between media company Ocean Outdoor and The British Fashion Council (BFC). The event will also see around 200,000 copies of The Daily, the official LFW broadsheet, distributed around the city.

Meanwhile, the BFC has revealed that its official Mercedes Benz chauffeurs will drive fashionistas around 32,000 miles during the event, 200kg of Lavazza coffee beans will be ground to help keep everyone alert, and that 500 cans of label.m hairspray are predicted to be used backstage.

London Fashion Week runs February 19-23. For more information see http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/