Rachel Wears (copyright: Leemo Rante)
You can’t argue that Manchester is a city with definitive style. Cool, confident and savvy are just a few words that spring to mind when asked to describe its key characteristics. People here make an effort. They really do. There’s a genuine love of fashion and they love to dress up (I’ve read that it’s a northern thing, that “people are always a bit more polished and well-groomed up here”).
Like many cities, Manchester has undergone a massive transformation over the last two decades, but there is an undeniable buzz about Manchester’s fashion scene which comes from a real diversity within this large metropolitan borough – from the UK’s second largest shopping centre, the Trafford Centre (dubbed ‘The Temple of Consumerism’) and City Centre which boasts an array of shopping streets and arcades, to the eclectic Northern Quarter, Manchester’s self-elected creative quarter which showcases new design talent and is a treasure trove of weird and wonderful vintage finds, to the premium (and frankly marvelous) independent boutiques out towards Cheshire and Lancashire. The list goes on……
The massive student population has also played a part in influencing the city’s style blueprint and there is a great deal of design talent in the city – The University of Salford’s final year fashion students have repeatedly won the British Fashion Council’s Colleges Portfolio Award and a Manchester University fashion student was described by Vogue.com (at London Fashion Week no less) as an “undeniable springboard” for the next generation of talent.
Emerging and new fashion designers were certainly a hit at this year’s Manchester Fashion Week and the catwalk was home to many including Nina Burton, Emily Shaw, Leah Jones and Rachel Wears to name but a few…
- Rachel Wears (top left) is a brand new label providing luxury wardrobe staples for busy modern women. Designed and manufactured in the UK using only the finest fabrics and yarns, these clothes can be dressed up or down to suit every occasion. Great quality, Great style, made in Great Britain.
For more images and information on Manchester Fashion Week 2014, click here.
You can also see the future of design talent at Graduate Fashion Week 2014, 31 May – 3 June in London. For more information click here.