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British Fashion Council chief executive Laura Weir revealed a new nationwide initiative called Fashion Britain at the organisation’s annual summer party held in London. Weir used that same appearance to confirm two returns to the London Fashion Week schedule this September: Alexander McQueen and Mulberry, with Marks & Spencer joining it for the first time. Mulberry’s return will see Christopher Kane debut his first womenswear collection for the house.
Fashion Britain will run several events in Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh, timed to coincide with London Fashion Week in September. London Fashion Week has run twice yearly since 1984. Weir named both returning houses in her speech, though she did not explain why either brand had stepped away from the London schedule in prior seasons or what had changed to bring them back this year. Marks & Spencer’s appearance will be its first time on the official schedule. The same speech also included plans for subsidised studio space in London and an expanded scholarship fund, both of which Weir confirmed alongside the Fashion Britain announcement.
Alexander McQueen was founded in London in 1992 by the late designer Lee McQueen, and the house has been based in the city since its earliest seasons. Mulberry, known for its leather goods, was founded in Somerset in 1971. Marks & Spencer, the long-running British retailer, has not previously held a place on the official London Fashion Week calendar.
Fashion Britain builds on a city-wide celebration the BFC first ran in 2024, when Manchester and Newcastle hosted events tied to London Fashion Week’s fortieth anniversary. This year’s programme expands that model to five cities. Weir told attendees she wants the public to see themselves reflected in the industry, describing it in her speech as “potent, powerful and economically crucial.” Driving footfall back to high streets, she said, is part of what the initiative is meant to do. The BFC has framed the events as a bridge between the fashion industry and the residents of each host city.
Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh are confirmed as host cities, but a full schedule broken down by city has not yet been published. Which venues, designers or retailers will take part in each location has not been announced. Weir called Fashion Britain the BFC’s latest step toward moving fashion’s presence and influence beyond London. That was the only time she used the phrase during her remarks.
Weir also confirmed that the BFC will now offer subsidised studio space in London. The support is intended for designers specifically during the period when they move from education into creative practice and running an actual business, according to Weir. She referenced a conversation with milliner Philip Treacy, who told her that neither he nor Lee McQueen would have been able to survive on today’s rents. Both Treacy and McQueen trained in London and built their entire early careers in that same city.
The BFC plans to treble its scholarship offering over the next four years. That commitment builds on £1.3 million already spent on grants and scholarships last year, part of which supported Fashion East, the incubator that has backed several London-based designers early in their careers.
Saint Laurent, Barbour and Cos have each agreed to launch new scholarships with the BFC. They join Chanel, Dior and Casely-Hayford, all of which already fund scholarships through the organisation. Weir thanked the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Mayor of London for their continued support during the speech while also stating she would have liked to see increased government investment in the sector this year specifically. She also thanked the BFC’s patrons and partners, along with the organisation’s own team and board, for what she described as their commitment to British fashion’s success.
Three separate commitments came out of one event: the events programme, the studio space, and the scholarship fund. Each is running on its own separate timeline. September is fixed for the events programme, since that is when London Fashion Week itself runs. The other two do not have public start dates yet, and the BFC has not said when applications or venue details will follow.
McQueen and Mulberry both give the September schedule two names that were missing in recent seasons. Marks & Spencer’s first appearance adds a prominent retailer to the September schedule. The five host cities remain unconfirmed at the event level, and the BFC has not indicated when that will change.
So far, September’s confirmed lineup includes Alexander McQueen, Mulberry and Marks & Spencer. Further additions to the schedule and to the Fashion Britain city-level programme details are expected sometime before September.
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