How Beyoncé harnessed the power of London’s extraordinary fashion talent

It's fast shaping up to be the tour of the year/decade/century (delete as appropriate for your levels of Beyhiveness) with fans, critics and social media armchair experts universally agreeing that there's never been anything quite like Beyoncé's billion dollar Renaissance World Tour.

It's in part thanks to the museum-worthy tour wardrobe that even industry insiders agree is "better than fashion week". In the 12 shows she's performed since kicking off in Stockholm on May 10, Beyoncé has cycled through a fabulous arsenal of looks from top designers. Anchored around the tour's non-stop party, high octane vibes, the likes of Mugler, Paco Rabanne, Coperni and (among many, many more) have opened up their ateliers to create custom club-ready couture. Think intergalactic, chrome alien suits , mirrored feathered capes and an encrusted bodysuit version of Loewe's AW22 handsy dress (which has since been recreated by hundreds of keen attendees).

Such is the spectacle that the hashtag #Renaissancetouroutfitideas currently has over four billion views on TikTok, with fans eager to get involved with the glamour of it all.

Yet, for her five day takeover of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week, the pop star turned it up a notch higher. As one of the style capitals of the world, Beyoncé paid homage to the city's brightest and most legendary talents — including Vivienne Westwood, Robert Wun, David Koma, Roksanda and Alexander McQueen — debuting a previously unseen outfit each night.

Bey "spends tens of thousands on a team of 12 seamstresses to work on adjusting her intricate costumes for her London shows," said a source, adding: "She has more people working on her wardrobe than some major designers do." While another source revealed that other artists have been struggling to get help with their festival and tour wardrobes as a result.

So as the Beyoncé circus packs up and rolls out of Tottenham, here's a who's who of the London brands Mrs Carter sported during the five-day extravaganza.

There's having your designs worn by Beyoncé, then there's having your designs worn for the opening look for her first London tour date.

"It was a very, very big surprise," Roksanda Ilinčić told the Standard following the big reveal of her jaw-dropping, electric blue structured gown. "The looks were all submitted before the tour started, and then it's up to the team and Beyoncé herself to decide what is worn when. We actually didn't know when the moment was going to happen."

The 47-year-old Serbian designer (who has been a staple of the London Fashion Week schedule since launching her epnoymous label in 2005), was comissioned only a month and a half ago by one of Beyoncé's stylists, Karen Langley.

"It was quite a quick turnaround, I must say. For bespoke pieces, the timelines are longer, but they had a very precise idea of what they wanted, and what the tour would be about. Now it's easy to understand all of them, but at the time it was just words and explanations," she continued, adding that a team of six powered through 100 hours of sewing in two weeks to get the job done. "Futuristic elements, beautiful gowns, something that should really make a big impact on the stage."

The London designer has a long and storied history with Beyoncé. As the first celebrity to support him (wearing his graduate collection to MTV EMA's in 2009, no less!), they've continued to cement their relationship over the last decade. It was no surprise, then, when one of Beyoncé's long time stylist's KJ Moody came knocking a few months ago. "Everytime I see Beyoncé in David Koma I am just as excited and grateful," says the designer, who has provided two stunning looks for the tour so far.

As per the "metallics" brief, Koma pulled various iridescent pieces from his SS23 collection. "The original inspiration was very simple — the iridescent petrol stain on the pavement I saw just outside of my studio. It made me think of the underwater world and the rainbow hued sea creatures," he says on the first bodysuit she wore with a detachable skirt-sarong and matching long biker jacket. "I often find my biggest inspiration in iconic women in male dominated fields and that season I discovered Dr Sylvia Earle – a marine biologist who in the 1970 led the first all-female diver team who spend two weeks living underwater. The way she described the light and colours of her deep-sea experience was so beautiful and moving – that's how I ended up creating the mother of pearl print for the dresses and iridescent leather for the coat."

His favourite element was a pair of custom-made thigh high crystal cowboy boots with the transparent heel that he says "add a powerful attitude to the look".

It's arguably been the most viral moment from Beyoncé's show (apart from when her daughter Blue Ivy made her dance cameo during "Power"), so when Queen Bey swapped in her iconic Mugler bee costume worn during "America Has a Problem" for Mary Katrantzou's surrealist dress, it easily elicited one of the biggest reactions of the night.

It's not the first time Beyoncé has worn the Greece-via-London creative's clothing, having also tapped the Central Saint Martins graduate for the "mulicolour rave gown" for the music video for "Water". The custom look, which was inspired by her Spring 2019 ready-to-wear collection and styled by costume designer Shiona Turini, has put the designer back on the world stage.

"She [Turini] sent us a very specific reference which featured a re-edition of our Perfume bottle dresses from my very first show in 2009," explains Katrantzou. "She loved the idea that they are meant to sculpt the female figure and because the tour is all about the concept of time, she felt the hourglass silhouette would be perfect."

The team then had less than a month before their first fitting in Paris. "We had the pieces first artworked in London and precision engineered to Mrs. B's 3D body scan. We then meticulously hand embroidered the pieces at Aamir Beading in India, using a combination of micro-bugles, crystals and gold sequins," continues Katrantzou on the laborious process to get the gown ready. "It was incredible to witness the skilled artisans in India recreate the illusion of the hourglass silhouette in under ten days. We didn't want the pieces to resemble traditional stage costumes, so the majority are sewn by hand at a couture level of finish."

Social media is already calling the custom look a piece of art. Or as Beyoncé would say: "10, 10, 10s across the board".

Robert Wun has had quite the year. The Hong Kong-born designer has taken home the ANDAM 2022 grand prize, styled Tems for the 2023 Met Gala and made his Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week debut. Now he can add dressing Beyoncé for her biggest tour yet to that list.

The custom suit featured a pleated, waist-cinching jacket with a billowing train and dramatic ruffled arms typical to his signature style. "@beyonce in the Custom Black Blossom full look, opening her show in London tonight. Her 5th and Last show in London for the Renaissance Tour," commented Wun underneath an Instagram post of the look, thanking stylist Shiona Turini for making the collaboration happen.

As well as supporting up-and-coming designers, Beyoncé also called on the talent's of capital's greats, including Alexander McQueen. Inspired by look 41 from the fashion house's autumn/ winter 2023 collection, the striking custom mini dress and opera glove ensemble featured red bugle beads to serve a vampy disco vibe. Completed with thigh-high metallic red leather boots, the star pulled the incredible number to help her open the second London night.

It comes after she chose a beautiful custom Alexander McQueen bodysuit with silver bugle bead and crystal anatomical embroidery for the tour's Stockholm stint, with many fans hoping for more magnificent McQueen moments over the coming months.

After passing away last year (and with many of London's fashion community still mourning the loss of the ‘queen of punk’) it was only right that Beyoncé chose a stunning Vivienne Westwood dress to open her fourth London night. Handcrafted in the brand's London atelier, the custom Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood mini corset black latex dress featured structured spiral sleeves and was styled with a pair of black patent leather Giuseppe Zanotti pointy-toe pumps.

To complete the look, Tiffany & Co created a custom Drip Intravenous necklace and Drip Intravenous chandelier earrings, which was appropriately named after Beyoncé's "ALIENSUPERSTAR" lyrics.