Cheshire Fashion Week Defends Its Registered Trade Mark Against Knutsford Town Council

Cheshire Fashion Week® is defending its registered trade mark in an ongoing dispute with Knutsford Town Council, now the subject of appeal proceedings under case number IP-2026-000108.

The independent fashion week says the dispute reflects the challenges regional creative businesses can face in protecting their intellectual property while operating without the institutional funding available to major fashion week platforms.

While Cheshire Fashion Week maintains a growing regional and international presence, it is Cheshire's first ever fashion week and is independent of the council. Today, its significant digital following and growing industry presence has put Cheshire on the spotlight with national press. It has grown to establish itself as the largest fashion week outside London, bringing hundreds of designers, models, photographers, retailers and creative professionals to Cheshire.

The dispute raises a wider issue for independent regional fashion weeks, which can spend years building a recognised fashion identity, creative community and audience around a city or region, creating positive reputation, visibility and cultural value from which the wider area can later benefit.

London Fashion Week operates within a significantly different support environment. The British Fashion Council and London Fashion Week have benefited from government and Greater London Authority funding, including public investment supporting emerging designers and fashion showcasing. Independent fashion weeks also attract audiences and footfall to regional cities and create opportunities for designers and creative businesses, but do so without comparable institutional support.

Cheshire Fashion Week says it has become increasingly important for regional fashion weeks to trade mark their brands and protect the identities they spend years building from unauthorised use or exploitation. Its trade mark was registered to safeguard that identity, and defending those rights is part of protecting the value and independence of a creative business.

Claire Namukolo Raven, Director of Cheshire Fashion Week, said:

“Regional fashion weeks spend years building their reputation, attracting investment and creating opportunities, often without the institutional support available in London. The intellectual property and reputation created through that work contribute to a city’s cultural identity, attract footfall and create real value, and they deserve to be protected.

Independent creative businesses should have confidence that the brands and reputations they spend years building are valued and protected, far beyond the interests of any single event. Intellectual property law exists to protect the rights and value created by businesses and creative industries. By exercising those rights through the appropriate legal routes, we are giving other creative brands and regional fashion weeks the confidence to protect their work and advocate for their industries."

The dispute is ongoing at appeal stage. Cheshire Fashion Week continues to operate independently and will stage its 2026 event at Chester Cathedral on the 5 September 2026.