© 2026 ALTERNATIVE FASHION WEEK MCR
20–25 October 2026 · Manchester · 6 days of subcultural
fashion.
JOIN THE REBELLION
Alternative Fashion Week Manchester is looking for designers, models, performers, photographers, artists and creatives.
Whether you’re gothic, punk, avant-garde, fetish, drag, cyber, rockabilly or impossible to label, we want to hear from you.
This is your platform.
Apply now.
ALTERNATIVE
FASHION
WEEK
MANCHESTER
Our collective is scouting underground talent for the next exhibition.
Alternative Fashion Week Manchester is looking for designers, models, performers, photographers, artists and creatives.
Whether you’re gothic, punk, avant-garde, fetish, drag, cyber, rockabilly or impossible to label, we want to hear from you.
This is your platform.
Apply now.
LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW — OCTOBER 20-25
About
Meeting the
Founder,
Leesa Bertram/ O'Neill
Alternative Fashion Week Manchester was founded by Leesa O’Neill, designer, creative director and founder of Pretty Disturbia.
Having spent years immersed in Manchester’s alternative fashion scene, including running Pretty Disturbia from Afflecks and working from her studio at Islington Mill, Leesa understands the challenges faced by independent designers, artists and creatives trying to gain visibility and opportunities.
Alternative Fashion Week was born from a simple idea: to create a platform that celebrates the people who exist outside the mainstream.
More than a fashion week, AFW is a community-led festival of subculture, creativity and self-expression. Bringing together designers, models, performers, photographers, makers and artists, the festival exists to champion emerging talent, encourage collaboration and showcase the incredible diversity of alternative fashion and culture.
Leesa’s vision is to create an inclusive space where creativity comes before conformity, individuality is celebrated and Manchester’s alternative community can come together to inspire, support and uplift one another.
Because the future of fashion belongs to the misfits.
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