MFW closes with tech and transformation
Press release provided by Manchester Fashion Week
Manchester, UK – 11 September, 2025 – Manchester Fashion Week closed its three-day revival with a clear statement: the future of fashion is being built in the UKs Top Digital Tech City. The final day at Campfield House focused on how digital tools, new materials and emerging talent are reshaping the industry.
Fashion Meets Technology
The day opened with the Future Fashion Tech panel, uniting innovators from AI platforms, biomaterials and digital sampling. Workshops from startups including Seamless Source, Digital Clothing Ltd and Nanoloom demonstrated how automation, data and new polymers can reduce waste and create scalable alternatives to petrochemical-based fashion.
Panels such as the Northern Tech Revolution highlighted Manchester’s growing role as a hub for both creative and technical industries. Discussions centred on virtual prototyping, zero-waste sampling and building transparent supply chains through technology.
Runway Highlights
- A.LE (Viet Anh Le): The Salford-based designer delivered sharp, architectural couture with precise tailoring and intricate detailing. His SS26 presentation showed how heritage craft can evolve through new digital and technical frameworks.
- Drew Kent: Returning to the runway after his opening night debut, Kent presented modular knit and crochet pieces rooted in his signature queer maximalism. His collection bridged handmade craft with experimental layering, showing how tradition and innovation can co-exist.
Manchester’s Tech Backbone
Day 3 also underscored the role of Manchester’s burgeoning £5bn tech sector in helping to reinstate the event. Their sponsorship made the week’s most experimental programme possible, enabling designers and startups to showcase ideas normally kept behind closed doors.
Gemma Gratton, Executive Producer of Manchester Fashion Week, says “Technology is no longer an accessory to fashion, it’s woven into its very fabric. Today proved that Manchester can host a fashion week rooted in data, systems and design thinking, without losing sight of craft and culture.”
John Higginson, CEO of Eco Age, Manchester Fashion Week’s media partner adds, “Manchester shows how technology, craft, fashion and responsibility can complement each other for the greater good. On Day 3 we saw designers, scientists and startups working with the city’s own tech backbone to cut waste and build better systems. This is a city that has always been defined by making, now it’s proving how tech innovation and imaginative craft can work side by side to drive real progress.”
Closing with the Public
The programme concluded at the ABC Dome with The Club PreLoved, a showcase of sustainable and circular brands, live upcycling demonstrations, styling workshops and music. The public event extended the week’s themes of responsibility and innovation directly to Mancunians, signalling Manchester Fashion Week’s commitment to accessibility and community.
Across three days, the event re-established Manchester as a serious force in global fashion; rooted in heritage, fuelled by technology, and ready to build models that last.
