V&A Dundee launches Scotland Fashion Now
- Scotland’s next generation of fashion designers celebrated in new annual fashion show at V&A Dundee
- Scotland Fashion Now will take place at V&A Dundee 3 – 6 September 2026, including a catwalk show, talks and workshops with industry leaders
This September, V&A Dundee will transform its iconic building into a runway for the opening of Scotland Fashion Now.
The first in a new annual programme, Scotland Fashion Now will celebrate the distinct impact Scotland has on the global fashion industry through a four-day programme of events. Featuring a catwalk show, talks, displays and workshops from industry leaders, Scotland Fashion Now will bring together a community of world-class talent and ambition at V&A Dundee.
Opening the programme on Thursday 3 September, Scotland Fashion Now: Graduate Showcase '26 will be an opportunity to see the next generation of designers from Scotland’s leading fashion schools. The hour-long catwalk show will feature selected graduate collections from Edinburgh College of Art, Glasgow School of Art, Gray’s School of Art and The Design School, Heriot-Watt University. The collections are inspired by a range of themes from inheritance, conflict and memory to the natural landscape and sustainability.
Scotland Fashion Now: Graduate Showcase '26 will include a total of 83 looks from 26 designers modelled by talent from Model Team. The show will be followed by a networking reception supported by Mulberry.
On Friday 4 September, V&A Dundee will present a Designer Panel in collaboration with British Fashion Council (BFC), allowing audiences to engage directly with the people shaping British fashion while celebrating Scotland's vibrant creative community.
The event will be the first in BFC’s recently announced National Designer Panel Series, curated by BFC in partnership with ELLE UK as part of their Fashion Britain programme, a landmark national initiative to decentralise fashion and unlock a new era of creativity, participation and growth across the UK.
Inspired by V&A Dundee’s current exhibition Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show, the Scotland Fashion Now programme will explore the variety of creative roles in the fashion industry.
Events include a hair styling masterclass with an award-winning L’Oreal Professionnel stylist, a fashion communications workshop for emerging designers and founders with SALAD Communications and a talk on alternative careers in the fashion industry with Scotland’s LS Productions, the UK’s largest production service company. There will also be an exclusive modelling open casting call with Model Team as they search for fashion’s new face in Scotland’s North-East and a panel discussion on runway representation led by the diversity campaign group I Am More Than.
A display of knitwear designs by graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, part of University of Dundee, will be on display as part of Scotland Fashion Now, celebrating Dundee’s rich history of textile production and innovative knitwear practices.
Mal James, Personal Chair of Fashion Design at Edinburgh College of Art, said: “We are delighted to participate in the fantastic upcoming showcase at V&A Dundee. Scotland Fashion Now: Graduate Showcase '26 is an incredible opportunity for our selected graduates, celebrating the outstanding talent that continues to emerge from Scotland’s fashion colleges and universities each year.
"This showcase will feature a selection of our graduates, highlighting the diverse range of specialisms nurtured at Edinburgh College of Art – from knitwear and classic tailoring to sustainable innovation and fashion textiles. By further connecting our graduates to a wide industry network, the V&A Dundee Graduate Showcase is crucial in both celebrating their achievements and reinforcing Scotland's significant presence in the fashion world.”
Troy Nelson, Creative Programmer at V&A Dundee, said: "As Scotland’s design museum, we have the opportunity to bring both public and industry together to celebrate and platform the talent being developed and nurtured in Scotland.
"Scotland plays a distinct role in shaping the global fashion industry, often drawing on a creative identity that blends heritage craft and subversive tradition with an international outlook and a cultural drive to explore and invent. It’s an identity that’s inspired some of the world’s most beloved designers, and the industry continues to support our creative and financial economy in return.
"The level of enthusiasm from our industry partners and collaborators for this event has been so warming, especially in our launch year. Collectively we want to promote the breadth of skills that underpin the fashion industry, and the importance and impact of Scotland’s art schools in developing the next generation of talent.”
Scotland Fashion Now joins a vibrant network of events championing Scotland’s fashion and textile sector including the return of Scotland Re:Design Scottish Fashion Festival this year. The first ever fashion show at V&A Dundee was staged by Scotland Re:Design in 2021. V&A Dundee is also partnered with The Fife Arms Festival of Fashion which will take place in Braemar in November.
Scotland Fashion Now is on at V&A Dundee from 3 – 6 September 2026. For more information and to book tickets for Scotland Fashion Now at V&A Dundee head to: www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/whatson/season/scotland-fashion-now-2026
Programme Partners:
British Fashion Council
Model Team
Edinburgh College of Art
Gray’s School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art
The Design School, Heriot-Watt
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
SALAD Communications
VIEVE
L'Oréal ProfessionnelSupported by Mulberry.