BFC teases City Wide Celebration details with big names and four-city focus

The City Wide Celebration’s back! The British Fashion Council’s curated programme of unique experiences and activations that will include aiming the spotlight on some of the UK’s key designers, especially those based outside London.

Taking place across Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and London in September, CWC brings together designers, retailers, cultural institutions, and premium hospitality venues “to celebrate the very best of the UK”.

Promising a “dynamic” events programme that will also be open to the public, the initiative “bridges culture and commerce, driving nationwide retail engagement and growth while deepening the fashion conversation through cross-sector collaboration and meaningful public participation”.

This will include the launch of ‘At Home With’. Presented by London Fashion Week (LFW) principal partner 1664 Blanc, it will feature a nationwide series of talks and panel discussions “spotlighting the cultural and geographic roots of some of Britain’s most celebrated designers”.

These will (so far) include Barbour, Kazna Asker, Matty Bovan, Nadine Merabi, Patrick McDowell, SS Daley, Talia Byre and The Winter House, as At Home With “celebrates the impact of British fashion beyond London, championing regional talent and engaging local communities”.

Through the series, 1664 Blanc said it “continues its commitment to championing emerging designers and making LFW more accessible to a broader audience, both in the capital and nationwide”.

Meanwhile, the series “supports a new strategic direction” set out by BFC CEO Laura Weir “to decentralise British fashion from London and spotlight creative excellence across the UK”.

The programme also aims to complement the recent announcement of the BFC Fashion Assembly, a pilot initiative conceived by Sarah Mower, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent, which received strong industry support.