THE FUTURE OF LONDON FASHION WEEK IS BEING REWRITTEN

Since appointing Laura Weir as their new CEO, the British Fashion Council have been preparing for a whole new refresh of the bi-annual London fashion week shows, events and schedule. With 18% more designers on schedule, fee waiving for member designers showing on the main schedule, double the investment, and a 3-year commitment to secure newgen London Fashion Week show space, things are seriously looking up for the first time in a while for British fashion designers.

All of this is remarkable news of course,  but we had all eyes on the Fashion Week celebrations in Liverpool! This year the British Fashion council ACTUALLY listened and gave us some well-deserved up north representation by hosting their new City Wide Celebrations throughout September in cities such as London, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

“City Wide Celebration brings together designers, retailers, cultural institutions, and premium restaurants and bars to celebrate the very best of the UK. Get involved and experience a fantastic programme of events,  panels, pop ups and activations from your favourite brands across London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and online this September.”

- londonfashionweek.co.uk

The week kicked off on 5 September inside John Lewis Liverpool One, where personal stylists handed out free advice like sweets. Across the street, Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen played host to something more seismic: a panel with Merseyside’s fashion prophets S.S. Daley, Patrick McDowell, and Talia Byre (in conversation with cultural commentator Andrew Ibi). Together, they mapped out how Liverpool’s restless energy is reshaping global fashion. If London’s the establishment, Liverpool’s the disruptor.

Elsewhere, Penthaligon’s was bottling identities in scent, while the Walker Art Gallery unveiled Vivienne Westwood: Designer in Focus, a reminder that radical fashion is a Northern birthright.

“I am removing resistance and opening up the schedule to new energy, new thinking and new ideas. 

I am loosening criteria with an eye to quality, waiving fees and ensuring that the event engages nationwide.”

- Laura Weir, BFC CEO

The North has never exactly waited for London’s permission, but this September it felt like Liverpool, Manchester, and Cheshire were being given the opportunity to give the British Fashion Council a taste of what could really happen if focus was shifted up our way for just a second.

On Saturday the 6th September, Liverpool’s Paradise Place had become the stage for Beposoundsystem. The collective presented their latest streetwear against a backdrop of live DJs from Svara Radio, parachute installations overhead, and an atmosphere that blurred retail with community gathering. Free pieces were handed out, conversations around mental health and resilience flowed, and the event felt less like a showcase and more like a public forum with music at its core.

Sunday moved to Peters Lane, continuing with the same mix of fashion, sound, and Liverpool’s distinct sense of optimism.

By the 9th of September, the focus shifted to Manchester Fashion Week 2025 at Campfield House. Where Liverpool leaned into participation and street-level energy, Manchester was about structure and ideas. The programme placed technology and sustainability at the centre, with panels and collections highlighting experimental materials, innovative silhouettes, and forward-looking practices. The message was clear: by 2030, Manchester intends not just to participate in global fashion but to set the agenda.

The season is due to close with Cheshire Fashion Week on the 17th–18th October, staged in Chester Town Hall and Cathedral. Runways beneath Gothic arches brought together international designers and emerging Northern talent, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and diversity. 

Taken together, these three events feel less like isolated moments and more like a coordinated statement. Liverpool brought community, Manchester innovation, Cheshire spectacle. Together, they demonstrated that the North’s fashion scene is confident, ambitious, and ready to define its own future.

On behalf of Destined Magazine, we would like to give a huge thank you to the British Fashion Council for recognising the fashion talent, and luxury fashion market in the city of Liverpool. We have even more to give and we hope that there will be even bigger and better events next season!

By Aleisha Petafi