Celebrating Barnsley's brilliance after Kim Kardashian 'put town on map' - Christa Ackroyd

‘Kim Kardashian puts Barnsley on the map’, screamed the headlines this week after she wore, or should that be nearly wore, a swimsuit-cum-catsuit with Barnsley written on her much photographed bottom for a big bash in Paris.

For once she had taste. And I don’t say that often I can tell you. I am no fan of the so-called influencer and her siblings. What do they actually do but flounce about anyway? But this week I am happy to put my prejudices behind me, if you excuse the pun.

If Barnsley is good enough for the fashion house Balenciaga, it’s good enough for me. I love the town. And in some way I suppose the snobby attitude of some media commentators who immediately reacted by saying Barnsley is hardly synonymous with fashion was to be expected.

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What do you expect from a largely Southern-based press who, let’s face it, have hardly travelled past Watford let alone set foot in Yorkshire? This week, this column is for them. I feel a little education is required.

Kim Kardashian's outfit highlighted Barnsley this week. Photo: PAKim Kardashian's outfit highlighted Barnsley this week. Photo: PA
Kim Kardashian's outfit highlighted Barnsley this week. Photo: PA
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Kim Kardashian pays unexpected homage to Barnsley on designer outfit during trip...

Firstly, they might like to know that Japanese designer Issey Miyake once described Barnsley as his most important outlet in Britain thanks to the brilliance and daring of Rita Britton, who was selling Mary Quant originals to factory workers in the sixties and is still designing exquisite clothes from the town well into her seventies, with, I may add, a client base the length and breadth of the country.

Her store Pollyanna’s, which has now morphed into Nomad Atelier, was slap bang in the centre of Barnsley for three decades and was the first in the country to showcase two Japanese designers together, the aforementioned Issey along with Yohji Yamamoto. Look them up. They were, and still are, cutting edge, literally.

While we are still on the subject of fashion, John Hickling is causing quite a stir with his online vintage clothes business run from Barnsley, Glass Onion. Last year he turned over £2,000,000. Repurposing our cast off garments pretty much as Barnsley is repurposing itself.

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Let me now turn my attention to hairdressing. Because yes it’s an art form and yes it’s a big part of fashion. Fashion editors may be surprised to find out that five of this country’s hairdressing elite hail from the town. They trained in Barnsley and either still work there or meet there when they can. Josh Wood worked for Vidal Sassoon, now has his own international brand and is a global director for Redken. Robert Eaton is Britain’s hairdresser of the year two years running and still has a shop in Barnsley.

Andrew Barton has done hair for royalty and the TV show Ten Years Younger and is only the third person to be announced as patron of the Hair and Barbers Council. Chris Moody travels the world as a teacher for Redken and L’Oreal but still has a shop down the road. And Simon Shaw was the first ever Grand Master Barber.

Let’s move onto arts and culture. Bretton College, six miles down the road from Barnsley, produced a wealth of writing and acting talent from Colin Welland to Kay Mellor, John Godber to Steve Pemberton, who wrote League of Gentlemen there with cohorts Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. The college may have closed but the award-winning Yorkshire Sculpture Park now takes up much of the grounds and is a showcase for the world’s most renowned artists as well as a creative space for new talent.

Philip Moseley, the original Billy Elliot and inspiration for the film, came from Barnsley. He is still dancing and working in a senior capacity for the Royal Ballet. Katherine Kelly, one of our most talented actresses, is immensely proud of her roots. The Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders learned to drum at Barnsley College, which still teaches, among other things, fashion and design in an education centre which leads the country for innovation and is described as outstanding by Ofsted.

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Then there are Barnsley-bred Michael Parkinson and Chocolate novelist Joanne Harris; Joanne Fletcher is a world class Egyptologist; Ed Clancy was a pretty good cyclist – and I am looking forward to watching Bethany England as part of the England’s Women’s footballing team win the European Championship.

Barnsley has the oldest market in the country. Cannon Hall Farm is loved on network telly and has won farm attraction and food shop of the year. My beloved Barnsley Youth choir are number one in the country and fourth in the world. And every week 500 join them in some capacity to sing in the town. Look I could go on.

So laugh at Barnsley if you will. I believe in it. The town believes in itself. And now Kim Kardashian has put it on the global map by wearing its name on her bottom, which by the way was actually part of a design from one of Balenciaga’s top team who was obviously delighted to have come from there too.

So well done Kim. Barnsley is proud of its past and optimistic about its future. What it doesn’t deserve to be is the butt of all jokes.