Manchester Fashion Week te return with expanded programme, launches C.T.E.M. Fashion Collective

Manchester Fashion Week has unveiled its biggest programme to date for September 9 to 12, alongside the launch of C.T.E.M. Fashion Collective, a new non-profit initiative designed to create year-round opportunities for emerging designers, students and young creatives.

The expanded event will take place across multiple venues in Manchester's St. John's district, featuring runway shows, exhibitions and industry talks. Highlights include the return of Malon Fashion, IGC Fashion showcasing Ugandan design talent, and speaker sessions with Katharine Hamnett CBE and Lynne Franks OBE.

The launch of C.T.E.M. (Culture, Technology, Education and Manufacturing) marks the event's biggest strategic development, extending Manchester Fashion Week beyond its annual schedule. The organisation will work with schools, universities and youth groups to support skills development, sustainability and careers in fashion.

Projects already underway include workshops with more than 270 pupils across nine Co-op Academy schools and the Future Threads programme, where young people will create a runway collection from reclaimed materials under the guidance of The Great British Sewing Bee winner Luke-Matthew Iveson.

In a statement, executive producer Gemma Gratton said: "Manchester Fashion Week is the city's platform to celebrate creativity, culture and the future of fashion. But for us, the runway is only part of the story. Through C.T.E.M. Fashion Collective, we're creating opportunities throughout the year by connecting young people, education, industry and communities across Greater Manchester."

She added: "By the time September arrives, hundreds of young people will have already experienced Manchester Fashion Week before the first model steps onto the runway. That's how we ensure Fashion Week doesn't just showcase our city, it grows with it."

John Higginson, CEO of Eco Age and a non-executive director of C.T.E.M., said the initiative provides "a genuine model for what the fashion industry can become when it invests in communities, education and future talent", adding that it transforms the event's ambitions into "meaningful, measurable impact".