Legendary fashion figures will lead an expanded four-day festival across Manchester’s St John’s district this September...
Legendary designer and activist Katharine Hamnett CBE, London Fashion Week founding figure Lynne Franks OBE and acclaimed designer Malon Fashion will headline Manchester Fashion Week when it returns from 9th to 12 September 2026.
The four-day festival will take over venues across the St John’s district, including Campfield, VERSA Studios and the ABC Buildings, with a programme of runway shows, exhibitions, installations, industry discussions and live experiences.
Hamnett, known for combining fashion with political and environmental activism, and Franks, who played a key role in establishing London Fashion Week (and may or may not have provided some of the inspiration for Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous), will take part in a series of conversations exploring creativity, sustainability, innovation and the future of the global fashion industry.
Manchester’s own Malon Fashion – which has styled the likes of Doja Cat and SZA – will lead an expanded runway programme, alongside IGC Fashion, which will showcase designers and creative talent from Uganda’s growing fashion industry on an international stage.
More than 5,000 visitors are expected to attend the 2026 festival, representing a fivefold increase on the previous year. Organisers say the growth reflects Manchester’s developing reputation as a centre for fashion, design, manufacturing and creative enterprise.
Supported by headline partner CUPRA and strategic partner Accenture, Manchester Fashion Week will bring together international designers, emerging creatives, educators, manufacturers, technology leaders and cultural figures from across the industry.
The festival will also mark the launch of the C.T.E.M. Fashion Collective, a new not-for-profit organisation designed to extend Manchester Fashion Week’s impact throughout the year.
Standing for Culture, Technology, Education and Manufacturing, the organisation will work with schools, universities, youth organisations and industry partners to create opportunities for young designers, makers and creative entrepreneurs across Greater Manchester.
Its work has already included fashion education workshops involving more than 270 pupils from nine Co-op Academy schools across Manchester and Salford. Students explored the environmental impact of fast fashion before transforming pre-loved T-shirts into original garments.
Their work has been brought together for The Universal Tee of Life, a large-scale installation set to appear at Castlefield Gallery from 9th September as part of the SPACE Exhibition, presented with the British Textile Biennial.
The Future Threads programme has also worked with young people from Salford Youth Zone and HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton. Led by Great British Sewing Bee winner Luke-Matthew Iveson and creative social enterprise Stitched Up, participants have learned skills including design, sewing, repair and upcycling.
Collections created through the programme will be presented during a dedicated runway show at Trafford Palazzo on Saturday 12th September.
Gemma Gratton, Executive Producer of Manchester Fashion Week and Chief Executive of C.T.E.M. Fashion Collective, said: “Manchester Fashion Week was always intended to be more than a week. Fashion has the power to create opportunity, inspire communities and unlock future careers.
“C.T.E.M. allows us to extend that impact throughout the year, ensuring that by the time Fashion Week begins, hundreds of young people have already started their own creative journey. Manchester has always been a city that challenges convention, and Manchester Fashion Week exists to do exactly the same for the fashion industry.”
Manchester Fashion Week 2026 takes place from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 September across Campfield, VERSA Studios, the ABC Buildings and other locations within St John’s.
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