Source: www.fibre2fashion.com
The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced Fashion Britain, a nationwide initiative aimed at broadening how fashion is experienced, celebrated and invested in across the United Kingdom, with a focus on extending opportunity and cultural participation beyond London.
The initiative is positioned as a major milestone in the BFC Strategy 2030: Access, Creativity and Growth. It is designed to bring together cities, cultural institutions, retailers, designers, businesses, educators and local communities on a platform connecting creativity, culture and commerce to unlock opportunities for designers, strengthen local creative economies and inspire the next generation of talent.
BFC has unveiled Fashion Britain, a nationwide platform to widen fashion investment, participation and visibility beyond London for designers. The initiative links cities, retailers, designers, educators and cultural institutions to support local creative economies and talent pipelines. It launches in September in six UK cities, with ELLE UK joining the National Designer Panel Series.
From August 25 to 27, 2026, two complementary industry events will take place simultaneously in Rzgów: Trends Expo and Sourcing Expo. However, these will not be two separate projects operating alongside each other. Their joint organisation has been designed as one coherent business model presenting the entire product journey – from design and production, through the finished collection, to contracting and wholesale distribution.
Both events will be combined within one exhibition space. One part of the hall will be dedicated to Trends Expo, while the other will host Sourcing Expo. This division is not merely organisational. It reflects the actual structure of the fashion industry. On one side, manufacturers, brands and distributors will present their finished collections. On the other, sewing factories, subcontractors, cutting rooms, pattern-making studios and companies providing services essential to the creation of those products will showcase their capabilities.
Trends Expo represents the commercial side of the industry. The fair brings together manufacturers of women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, lingerie, sportswear, footwear, leather goods, accessories, packaging and e-commerce solutions. Exhibitors meet boutique and online store owners, retail chain buyers, wholesalers, distributors and representatives of the social selling sector. Previous editions have attracted more than 407 exhibitors from 35 countries and over 8,327 industry visitors, 30% of whom were international guests.
At the heart of this ecosystem is Wholesale Center PTAK, home to more than 2,000 manufacturers and importers, with approximately 9 million customers from Poland and abroad each year. More than 43,000 companies connected directly and indirectly with the clothing industry operate around the centre.
This is why the key message behind the entire concept is:
“PTAK is not only about trade. It represents the entire sourcing process – from design and material selection, through production, sewing and finishing, to the sale of the finished product.”
Trends Expo, Sourcing Expo and Wholesale Center PTAK therefore create one complete ecosystem. Sourcing Expo answers the question: who will manufacture the collection and how will it be produced? Trends Expo demonstrates: what can be offered to the market and who can it be sold to? Wholesale Center PTAK, meanwhile, provides a permanent business base of manufacturers, importers, buyers and distributors.
Each element naturally leads to the next, and together they present the complete picture of the contemporary fashion industry – from the first design concept, through production and the finished collection, to real commercial orders.
