LONDON — The new year has brought new questions about the long-term future of London Fashion Week Men’s, where the latest round of shows began on Saturday. The now-conspicuous absence of big-league names on the schedule, as more and more brands opt to show mixed-gender collections during the women’s wear season or reconsider their spending on the traditional show format, has led to a dwindling numbers of foreign buyers, media representatives and photographers at the twice-yearly event. And this season has been no exception.

At times the calendar, with a few Savile Row stalwarts but also emphatic offerings from emerging designers heavy on the styling and outrageous statements but ultimately light on creative or commercial finesse, felt peripheral to the wider international fashion ecosystem. Yet it also fizzed with displays of energy, ideas and talent that underscored why the British men’s wear scene should not be discounted. Here, some of the best shows that defiantly flew the flag for the future: