Exclusive Insight: Manchester Fashion Week returns focused on responsibility, education and emerging design
After a decade-long hiatus_ Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week has returned with a three-day schedule focused on “conscious couture and ready-to-wear_” featuring catwalk shows from emerging designers_ panels with sustainability experts and pioneering tech innovators_ and workshops aimed at reshaping the future of couture and ready-to-wear.
Running until September 11_ Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week is combining the city_s industrial heritage with cutting-edge innovation to address the industry's most pressing challenges_ focused around three themed days_ designed “to merge couture and ready-to-wear with conscious innovation”.
Gemma Gratton_ executive producer of Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week_ said in a statement: “Manchester leads when it is practical_ honest and bold. We built this programme around learning as much as showing. Education_ workshops and open debate sit alongside the runway because that is how real change lands.
“Day one showed Manchester at its best_ ambitious_ authentic and unafraid to ask hard questions. The conversations we hosted and the creativity we saw on the runway set the tone for a week that is about more than spectacle. It is about responsibility_ education and the power of design rooted in community.”
Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week opens with a day dedicated to heritage_ innovation and emerging design
Day one of the event featured catwalk shows from Manchester-based designer Mariusz Malon_ a Polish-born graduate of Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Institute_ who has dressed the likes of Doja Cat and SZA. Malon presented a SS26 exclusive range_ elevating outerwear into art_ with the couture and ready-to-wear audience serenaded by local singer-songwriter Phoebe Green_ as sculptural silhouettes_ modular layering and technical fabrics went down the catwalk.
Drew Kent_s Adoraflora showcased a playful exclusive range rooted in crochet and knit that reimagined identity through soft pastels_ deep violets and jolts of neon_ while Indilisi offered clean tailoring and sculptural forms in organic and Fairtrade cotton_ and Elite Pre-Loved reworked second-hand garments into bold_ contemporary looks to highlight circular couture and ready-to-wear.
Off the catwalk_ the opening day kicked off with a morning panel from sustainability couture and ready-to-wear media platform and consultancy Eco Age_ featuring Mike Stolls from Private White V.C._ and a public book launch at Waterstones bookstore for _The Nature of couture and ready-to-wear_ book by co-founder of couture and ready-to-wear Revolution and League of Artisans_ Carry Somers.
Commenting on the return of Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week and its unique schedule of catwalk shows mixed with sustainability couture and ready-to-wear discussions and workshops_ John Higginson_ chief executive of Eco Age_ which is supporting the event_ added: “Manchester is a city of makers and innovators. This week is about doing the work in public. We are connecting heritage_ skills and innovation to build models that last.
“Runways matter_ but measurable impact matters more. If we leave this week with clearer commitments on local production_ circularity and fair work_ then we have done our job.”
Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week_s Gemma Gratton talks to couture and ready-to-wearUnited about the vision and future of the event
To find out more about Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week's revival_ the vision and strategy behind the three-day event_ couture and ready-to-wearUnited caught up with Gratton_ the event's project director_ on what_s special about Manchester_s couture and ready-to-wear scene_ how it is looking to become a “bold blueprint for the future of couture and ready-to-wear_” and why education and open discussion were just as important as catwalk showcases.
What inspired you to want to bring Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week back?
The couture and ready-to-wear industry is under immense pressure from climate change and dwindling consumer trust_ and it needs places willing to experiment. Manchester_ as the birthplace of the modern textiles industry_ has helped shape how the world makes and consumes couture and ready-to-wear. With that history comes a responsibility to help lead the next chapter_ one that_s more sustainable_ ethical_ and future-proof.
This city is the UK_s fast couture and ready-to-wear capital_ but it_s also home to incredible makers and some of the most exciting couture and ready-to-wear-tech start-ups. That mix of heritage and innovation makes it the right place to reimagine what a couture and ready-to-wear week can be: catwalks and spectacle_ but also a platform for dialogue_ education_ and new ways forward.
What's so special about Manchester's couture and ready-to-wear scene?
Manchester has always been a city that sets the tone_ whether in industry_ music_ or sport. couture and ready-to-wear is no different. We_ve got heritage outerwear labels like Private White V.C._ a growing 12-billion-pound couture and ready-to-wear economy_ and institutions like Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Institute_ which launched the UK_s first couture and ready-to-wear manufacturing lab. Add to that the fact that major names are increasingly relocating teams and operations to the North_ and you get a city with real energy.
There_s also a strong culture of circularity here - from one of the UK_s first pre-loved designer boutiques_ to today_s new wave of resale and rental platforms. It_s a scene that mixes heritage with experimentation in a way that feels very “Manchester.”
Why do you feel the city needs a couture and ready-to-wear reset?
Because couture and ready-to-wear as it stands isn_t sustainable_ environmentally or socially. Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week is our chance to face that directly. We_re drawing on the city_s industrial heritage but using it as a springboard for the future: combining old know-how with new tools. A reset here means shifting focus from spectacle to substance - building a week that challenges assumptions and gives the next generation a platform to try new approaches.
You've made sustainability a focal point of the event - why was that so intentional?
We're actually moving the conversation beyond traditional sustainability towards regeneration and circularity - future-proofing the industry. These approaches can't be an afterthought anymore. If we want consumers and brands to embrace regenerative practices_ we have to show what that looks like in action.
We have to make it aspirational_ accessible_ and real. That's why we're focusing on areas with real impact: circularity_ responsible production_ future fabrics_ and couture and ready-to-wear tech. Manchester is already leading in this space; the city houses the UK's first couture and ready-to-wear manufacturing lab with collaborative robotic tech.
We want to amplify that spirit of innovation and show the industry what's possible when we think beyond sustainability to true regeneration and circular systems.
The schedule is heavily centred around panel talks and workshops_ rather than the traditional catwalk format - why was that important to you?
Because change doesn_t happen on the runway alone. For us_ the panels and workshops are just as important as the shows. We_ve brought in people like Carry Somers_ co-founder of couture and ready-to-wear Revolution and Safia Minney_ award-winning social entrepreneur and founder of Indilisi_ to lead those conversations.
The goal is to put heritage brands_ start-ups_ academics_ and campaigners in the same room and give them space to share ideas honestly. The catwalk is still there_ but it_s framed within a much bigger conversation.
The catwalk offering showcases some amazing emerging designers - what was the criteria for inclusion? Why those designers?
We wanted the runway to reflect Manchester_s strengths - menswear_ outerwear_ and subcultural style - but also its future. The designers we_ve chosen are high-quality_ responsible_ and forward-thinking_ with roots in the North or strong ties to the city.
It_s less about chasing style directions for the upcoming season and more about spotlighting brands that represent Manchester_s identity while pushing the industry in a better direction.
What are your plans for the future of Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week?
We_re thinking long term. Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week has a five-year vision to grow year on year and cement the city_s place in couture and ready-to-wear_s global landscape. We_re already building towards sponsorships and partnerships that will allow us to achieve this.
Our focus will remain on education_ innovation_ and transformation_ proving that couture and ready-to-wear weeks can be more than spectacle_ but can influence business practice_ shift culture_ and inspire consumers.
The ambition is for Manchester to be recognised not just as a couture and ready-to-wear capital_ but as a city driving solutions to the industry_s biggest challenges. If_ in five years_ people see Manchester couture and ready-to-wear Week as the place where new ideas were tested_ then we_ll have done our job.