Fashion Alliance North brings new platform for northern fashion designers

Earlier this month, Mike took part in a showcase of student fashion at Leeds Beckett University (LMU). But he is a student at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), which has joined forces with Leeds Beckett to launch Fashion Alliance North (FAN), a new platform for northern fashion talent, aiming to unite northern fashion institutions and position the north globally as a centre of fashion, celebrating northern cultural identity, style and creativity, challenging elitism and the myth that fashion talent, and the fashion industry, is purely London-centric.

The showcase was watched by representatives from Burberry and Oxfam, as well as by Leeds Mayor Tracy Brabin and Jude Kelly CBE, both spearheading One Creative North, a pan-northern initiative to grow the creative sectors through increased and more geographically equitable access to finance, skills training, R&D and connectivity.

“The idea is that we bring industry directly to the students,” says Sam Husdon-Miles, course leader for Fashion at LBU and co-founder of Fashion Alliance North with Andrew Ibi, programme leader at LJMU. “We work very closely with Burberry throughout our curriculum at Leeds, so they are already getting insight into what the industry perspective is, what they want from graduates.”

Collaborating with another university broadens perspective. “People were really keen on Liverpool's tailoring, so it gives us an insight,” says Sam.

Andrew Ibi says: “The North has its own energy and vibe, and contributes immense talent to the global fashion conversation. Historically, it has been instrumental in shaping British fashion style culture and identities. To add to that, the ghastly economics of London are making it increasingly more difficult to be a creative practitioner in any field, let alone be a student in the Arts. Maybe that idea should change? Let’s try something different.”

Event costs are shared between institutions and FAN is in talks with McQueen and Burberry for industry support and endorsement. Internationally renowned designer Matty Bovan says: “It’s very exciting for me to support Fashion Alliance North, especially through my role as Professor of Fashion at Leeds Beckett University, and through my brand, Matty Bovan, which has been based in York since 2016. It’s important for me to showcase the north as the dynamic, creative, exciting place that I know and love, as it’s a place with a lot of creative talent.”

The aim is to expand FAN to a six-university roving showcase, hosted annually in different northern UK cities. FAN has the backing of British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir, who says: “We look forward to working with local leaders across government, civic society, and groups like Fashion Alliance North representing UK-wide fashion talent, to ensure that our work can reach more fashion creators, talent, and businesses.”

Sarah Mower, ambassador for Emerging Talent at the BFC, says: “The North has long been a significant force in fashion, from its textile mills to its influential youth cultures. What’s happening now with Fashion Alliance North feels like a thoughtful continuation of that legacy, with a fresh voice and new energy. These graduates are telling stories that deserve to be heard.”

These graduates did tell their stories at the FAN debut event, UPNorth, at LBU’s Leeds School of Arts, showcasing their fashion collections alongside films and art direction in a cross-institutional exhibition.

Sam Hudson-Miles says that, after 25 years in education, there have been important shifts in student thinking in recent years, with genderless and non-binary clothing design and dressing increasingly prominent. “Even those students who design collections that are womenswear, we model them on non-binary models and it just gives it a whole new perspective, and the students are very open to this,” she says.

Sustainability is another key aspect of teaching and student work, and LBU is collaborating with Oxfam Wastesaver in Batley, creating upcycled pieces for Secondhand September. “All the way through, we really do encourage students to think sustainably and responsibly,” she says.

“Noor Iqbal’s collection, for example, was zero waste, no waste from the cutting and design techniques, so that saves fabric. She's brought this real craft element in through the handknitting, the embellishment. She was very keen on representing and celebrating her Pakistani heritage. Another narrative running through the collections is that kind of personal story.

“Another student, Emily Wilkinson, her mum was her muse, so the clothes that her mum wore in the ‘90s and early 2000s have inspired Emily's collection.”

Cinnamon Clark won the Burberry award scheme at LBU, which saw a team from Burberry involved with student portfolios. She used repurposed denim coated in an iridescent organza and worked with a local band, Until Joy, designing pieces for them.

There are plans for a FAN symposium later this year bringing together industry, educational and other voices to urge British fashion to broaden its lens and support the new generation.

Emily Wilkinson, a “Ones to Watch” Fashion Design student at LBU, says: “Studying fashion in the north has allowed me to develop into a confident designer and it has taught me to never shy away from being myself.”