The People, Skills & Stories Shaping UK Fashion

09-09-2026

Newsletter 9th September 2026

Manchester Fashion Week: Putting the Whole Industry on the Agenda

Manchester Fashion Week is back from 9th-12th September, with a programme that looks far beyond the catwalk.

Across four days, the agenda tackles near-shoring, supply-chain resilience, synthetic fibres, repair and resale, traceability, AI, 3D technology and automation, with voices including designer and activist Katharine Hamnett, Lynne Franks OBE and Tamsin Blanchard.

Skills and inclusion are also central to the programme. More than 270 pupils across nine Manchester and Salford schools have already participated in its year-round activity, alongside Sewing Circles supporting women from refugee, migrant and low-income backgrounds.

Behind the Seams: What’s Really in the Textiles Closest to Our Bodies?

Global Standard, the organisation behind GOTS, has launched its 2026 #BehindTheSeams campaign – this time focusing on textiles used closest to our bodies.

Baby clothing, bedding, cotton pads and period products are among the everyday items under the spotlight as the campaign explores fibre content, manufacturing and certification.

Last year’s campaign generated more than 290 million impressions and engaged 144 million people, and this year brands including Lucy & Yak, PACT, King Louie and Stanley/Stella are getting involved.

Read the full story

Importing from India? Don’t Assume a Free Sample Has No Customs Value

The UK–India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) came into force on 15th July 2026, but what does it actually mean for fashion businesses importing garments, fabrics and samples?

In our latest expert article, Hardeep Singh of Universal Delivery Solutions Ltd explains the practicalities, including rules of origin, commodity codes, customs values, import VAT and documentation.

One important point for brands and designers: even if a supplier sends a sample free of charge, it doesn’t automatically have a zero customs value.

Read the practical guide

AI Won’t Replace Great Designers – But Fashion Skills Are Changing

New analysis from the Design Council puts the UK’s design economy at more than 2.27 million jobs – while industry leaders argue designers shouldn’t fear simply being replaced by AI.

For fashion, the interesting question is what happens next.

AI, 3D design and digital product development can transform how quickly ideas are visualised and developed, but they don’t remove the need to understand fit, construction, fabrics and manufacturing.

As these technologies converge, tomorrow’s fashion professionals will increasingly need both digital and hands-on technical skills.

Supporting Every Learner: SEND CPD for the Fashion-Enter Team

A huge thank you to Jonathan Cobb and Antonio Munoz from The SEND Foundation for delivering a fantastic CPD session for Fashion-Enter staff.

The session focused on SEND and gave our team practical insight to strengthen the way we support learners with different needs.

For an Academy built around practical, hands-on learning, continuing to develop our tutors and staff is just as important as developing our learners. Sessions like this help us make our training increasingly accessible, responsive and inclusive.

True Unsung Heroes: Celebrating 16 Years with Krystina and Borjana

This week we’re celebrating two of the unsung heroes behind our Haringey factory, Krystina and Borjana, and an incredible 16 years of working together.

Krystina has been our Factory Supervisor for the past eight years, coordinating machinists, cutters, pressers, quality control and management to keep production moving.

Borjana takes on many of our most complicated samples and short production runs, working on pieces for clients including Aubin & Wills, Matrix Workwear, Luke Derrick and Orla Kiely. Most recently, the team completed some fantastic Commonwealth Games Scotland jackets for Matrix Workwear.

Experienced stitchers are highly skilled, intelligent and adaptable, yet the expertise behind garment production is too often overlooked. Krystina and Borjana are brilliant examples of the people and skills that make UK manufacturing possible.

A huge thank you to them both, and to our entire factory team!

Meet Krystina and Borjana

Pink Threads: Bra-Making with an Important Message

Around 59,400 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year – approximately 59,000 women and 400 men, or around 160 people every day.

This autumn, our Fashion-Enter Leicester team is doing something a little different to help raise awareness.

Thanks to a community engagement grant from Breast Cancer Now, we will deliver four creative workshops over a three-month programme, combining practical bra design and construction with informal conversations about breast health and recognising the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

Divya Kamath, FEL Leicester Operational Manager, has long supported breast cancer campaigns and wants the programme to reach as many people in Leicester as possible.

As Breast Cancer Now’s Train the Trainer team commented, bra-making provides a “creative, unique and memorable” way to start these important conversations.

Find out more about the project

Book the upcoming workshop