MANCHESTER – Manchester Fashion Week returns this September after ten years with a three-day programme focused on sustainable fashion and innovation.
The event, running from 9–11 September, will feature a line-up of international sustainability experts, technology innovators and emerging designers. This week, Manchester landmarks were lit up to mark the official countdown to the week, billed as one of the city’s most anticipated cultural events of the year.
Speakers confirmed include Carry Somers, founder of Fashion Revolution, Safia Minney MBE, founder of Fashion Declares, designer Wayne Hemingway MBE, UN fashion sustainability consultant Lavinia Muth, and DJ Paulette. Organisers say the mix of voices reflects Manchester Fashion Week’s ambition to address the industry’s environmental and cultural challenges while celebrating its creativity.
Day one will open with an industry breakfast hosted by Eco Age before moving into panels on circular fashion and greenwashing workshops with UN experts. The day will close with the public launch of Carry Somers’ new book, The Nature of Fashion, at Waterstones. Day two will spotlight British textile heritage and local talent, including a Mancunia Founders Panel and a public “Future Fashion Fare,” before a conversation between Hemingway and DJ Paulette. The final day will showcase innovation, with panels from fashion tech firms including Circkit, UGENIE, Nanoloom, CIFR and VOXELO, ending with a runway show under the banner “The Club PreLoved,” dedicated to conscious brands.
Executive producer Gemma Gratton said the programme “represents Manchester’s DNA – innovative, inclusive, and unafraid to challenge the status quo. We’re not just showing fashion; we’re reshaping how the industry thinks about creativity, community, and consciousness.”
Somers said the event comes at a pivotal moment: “Fashion needs a radical transformation, rethinking the systems on which it is built. The rebirth of Manchester Fashion Week offers a space to confront the realities of our industry while celebrating the creativity that can drive genuine change.”
Designer Mariusz Malon added that the platform could be game-changing for northern talent. “Every great designer started as an emerging one. Having a platform here in Manchester is more than exposure, it’s an opportunity to shape perspectives of the North, influence industries, and build a legacy through conscious design.”
Manchester Fashion Week is being staged in partnership with Eco Age and supported by SHIKO, Department Campfield, Innovate UK, Accenture, Turing Innovation Catalyst, and The Break Creative. John Higginson, CEO of Eco Age, said the event “proves Manchester is ready to lead global conversations about fashion’s future. From heritage craftsmanship to cutting-edge technology, this schedule offers something for everyone invested in fashion’s evolution.”
Tickets for public events are now available at www.fashionweekmanchester.co.uk.
