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Primetime with Kai Jasper & Mica Lucy – On Air This Week
Manchester is having a moment. And not just in music.
This Tuesday Sept 8 between 7-10 am, as the city prepares to host one of its most ambitious fashion events in years, Primetime presenters Kai Jasper and Mica Lucy are diving headfirst into the conversation that’s on everyone’s lips: Is Manchester finally getting the fashion recognition it deserves?
The Comeback
Manchester Fashion Week returns from 9 – 12 September, taking over St John’s with four days of runway shows, talks, and industry events that organisers are calling “bigger and more ambitious” than ever before . The festival marks a significant return after a 10-year hiatus, with a programme that’s less about trends and more about the future of fashion itself.
Headlining the event are Katharine Hamnett CBE, Lynne Franks OBE, and Tamsin Blanchard, names that carry serious weight in the fashion world . Hamnett, known for blending activism with fashion, and Franks, one of the founding figures behind London Fashion Week, will be in conversation about creativity, sustainability, and where the industry goes next.
“It’s not just about clothes,” says the festival’s executive producer. “It’s about building Manchester’s fashion industry and giving Northern creatives opportunities without having to move to London.”
Cottonopolis Calling
Here’s the thing: when we talk about Manchester “becoming” a fashion city, we’re actually talking about a return to form.
Manchester was Cottonopolis – the international centre of the cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution. Textiles built this city. The mills created the foundations .
Fast-forward to the present, and Manchester developed its own relationship between fashion, music, football, and youth culture. Think Madchester, rave culture, Britpop, football terraces, independent shops, and the legendary Afflecks. That Northern attitude towards style has always been about individuality over following London.
This is exactly what KJ and Mica Lucy will be unpacking on air this week – the thread that runs from the city’s industrial past right through to its creative present.
The Big Question: Is Manchester Catching Up?
A Vogue Business article titled “Is Manchester the next big fashion city?” described the city as a rising fashion powerhouse, highlighting homegrown brands like Adanola, Represent, and Nadine Merabi, alongside the city’s creative infrastructure and Manchester Fashion Institute .
Then there’s the bigger movement: the British Fashion Council’s Fashion Britain campaign is launching this September across cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol, and Edinburgh – specifically looking at how British fashion can become less London-centric .
This is exactly what Kai and Mica Lucy will be debating on Primetime:
“London is obviously still the UK’s fashion capital, but do we actually need everything to happen in London?”
With major fashion brands, a huge student population, independent designers, vintage culture, athleisure influence, and a strong creative community, not to mention cheaper studio space than London. Manchester’s case is getting stronger by the day.
The Chanel Moment
December 2023. That’s when everything shifted.
CHANEL brought its Métiers d’Art show to Manchester, presenting the collection on Thomas Street. It was huge. Massive. Absolutely insane.
Luxury fashion’s biggest name chose Manchester, describing the city as an “important pop-culture and avant-garde city” while Vogue highlighted its industrial heritage, music, and cultural identity .
Was Chanel recognising Manchester’s fashion credentials – or was it recognising Manchester’s wider cultural influence?
Either way, the message was clear: Manchester is on the international fashion map.
What’s Actually Happening This Week
Manchester Fashion Week 2026 is taking over St John’s across multiple venues including Campfield, VERSA Studios, and the ABC Buildings.
The programme is structured around four key themes:
- 9 September Changing Narratives: Examining supply chains, nearshoring, and the realities of fashion’s global workforce
- 10 September Changing Behaviour: Exploring fashion’s dependence on synthetic fibres and repair, resale, and circular models
- 11 September Changing Industry: Looking at data, traceability, AI, and the financial realities of creative careers
- 12 September Wear the Change: Closing with The Big Swap one of the UK’s largest clothing swap events and the Susty Club sustainable fashion pop-up
The festival is also launching Campfield Studios, a new 24,000 sq ft venue that will provide its first major showcase this week.
There’s also a fascinating crossover with Manchester Jewellery Week, which launches on 10 September and brings more than 20 exhibitions and around 200 UK jewellers to the city.
Education and Impact
This isn’t just a week of shows and talks. The festival is supported by a year-round education programme delivered by the Northern Fashion Collective .
More than 270 pupils across nine Manchester and Salford schools have already taken part in textile redesign workshops, exploring the environmental impact of fast fashion while learning design and upcycling skills. Their work is being assembled into an installation by University of Manchester students .
The C.T.E.M. Fashion Collective standing for Culture, Technology, Education and Manufacturing – is also being launched as a not-for-profit organisation to extend the festival’s impact throughout the year .
Tune In
This week on Primetime with Kai Jasper and Mica Lucy, the conversation is all about fashion, Manchester, and the city’s place in the industry’s future.
Got a view on whether Manchester is the next fashion capital? Get involved in the conversation: text the studio, message insta @UnityRadiofm, and let KJ and Mica Lucy know what you think?
