Yorkshire fashion highlights of the year with Amy Garcia, Liz Green, Christine Talbot, Burberry and more

Thanks in no small part to our cloth manufacturing heritage, Yorkshire is a county filled with fashion creation, from our brilliant students and designers to big name makers such as Burberry, Abraham Moon, Hainsworth and Alfred Brown. We celebrate them all.

We kicked off in January 2023 with the splendidly attired Goths of Whitby, featured in Katie Godman’s book Gothic Fashion, a dark yet illuminating delve into how our passions for black (and purple, and lace) developed down the centuries.

In February we previewed a beautiful and rare private collection of 1920s clothes and accessories on sale at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn. Meanwhile, Lucy Adlington of The History Wardrobe gave us a glimpse into her personal collection of vintage clothing, loaned to Bankfield Museum in Halifax, modelling some for a shoot with Simon Hulme. We also showcased the hauntingly beautiful designs of Cunnington and Sanderson, the world-renowned avant-garde design duo, based in Silsden, shining light on mental health with their pillow dress and tee.

In March, we visited the wonderfully innovative knitwear designer and artist Joan Murray, based in Skipton, and also went to Sunny Bank Mills at Farsley where family firm Whippet Caps staged a fashion shoot to show off some top-notch Yorkshire headwear.

March was also the month that we launched our competition with the Find Your Midlife Magic team - Bernadette Gledhill, Rachel Peru, Annie Stirk and Christine Talbot. A fashion shoot by Kate Mallender saw the fab four wearing John Lewis & Partners Leeds collections outfits at Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, as they prepared for their one-day event later in October (it happened and it was incredible).

April saw the release of a swoon-worthy coffee table book called simply Burberry. The fashion house, which manufactures cloths and trench coats in Yorkshire, gave us an exclusive preview of this tome, filled with images and insight from the Burberry archive and beyond.

We spotlighted the work of designer and tailoring genius Laura Pitharas, who told us that dressing Dame Emma Thompson in one of her brand’s white suits for this year’s BAFTAs was a “pinch-me” moment. We also spoke to York Fashion Week headliner Gary James McQueen about the legacy of his uncle Alexander.

We visited the Marks and Spencer Archive at the University of Leeds, where it had refreshed its exhibitions with a cinema and a new dressing-up area. In fact, the staff agreed to model the retro clothes for us, and the result was another brilliant fashion shoot by Simon Hulme.

In May, as the Coronation approached, Yorkshire milliners Jenny Roberts and Sherry Richardson gave us super-stylish tips for getting it right with special event hats and headwear. We visited radio presenter Liz Green at home, for a special fashion shoot by James Hardisty to celebrate the opening of Cache La Boutique, Liz’s very own French-inspired boutique in Elland. Liz modelled the clothes herself and looked incredible - no wonder she was that week’s cover star.

York-based international fashion designer Matty Bovan became a professor at Leeds Beckett University, celebrating by taking over Trinity Leeds Shopping Centre with his students.

In June, we explored a new take on colour placement in hairdressing, thanks to the then reigning British Hairdresser of the Year Robert Eaton, of Russell Eaton salons in Leeds and Barnsley. Yorkshire special occasion designer Rebecca Rhoades presented her new special occasion collection.

July saw the return of the Great Yorkshire Show catwalk for the first time since the pandemic, featuring models from the farming community. This year’s runway was the sheep shearing stage, and Clapham-based Glencroft took the opportunity to showcase its Thwaite jumper, the culmination of its Clapdale Wool Project, launched in 2021, working with local farms to create a sustainable and traceable Yorkshire yarn. Also there, York designer Mary Benson showed designs in Abraham Moon tweed.

Harrogate-born Lioness Rachel Daly told us about her collaboration with leisure brand Hera and modelled tees emblazoned with designs inspired by her tattoos. We also headed to Space vintage fashion and homewares shop in Harrogate, where owner Steve Elvidge and friends put together a brilliant fashion shoot, inspired by Steve’s canny purchase of some YSL-inspired Mondrian-esque dresses.

In August mediaeval embroiderer and costume specialist Tanya Bentham told us about her fascinating work creating replica costumes, which were showcased at Ilkley Manor House in a wonderful fashion show and accompanying shoot by Laura Mate.

We also caught up with Bernadette Gledhill, who talked to us about returning to modelling after a break of more than two decades (although she has been pretty busy in the interim running the Great Yorkshire Show fashion catwalk, as well as model coaching).

In September, we celebrated the launch of the Smart Works Leeds Fashion as a Force for Good Ball with a photoshoot in Leeds city centre, where the charity’s staff and volunteers modelled pre-loved special occasion and party wear in anticipation of the real event, which took place in November.

We also found ourselves at Victoria Leeds, where influencer Kat Farmer styled a series of looks for catwalk shows that took place outside John Lewis & Partners, as part of the first Leeds Fashion Weekender.

In October, Burberry wove some very special cloth at its Keighley mill for a Leeds project called The Gift, celebrating community by creating fabrics incorporating the emblem of each ward.

Amy Garcia was our cover star at the end of October as she celebrated 10 years presenting BBC Look North with a brilliant fashion shoot by Tony Johnson. She spoke movingly about missing Harry Gration, and wore a black cocktail dress that he had admired.

November saw us showcase pre-loved cashmere brand Nearly New Cashmere, based in Masham, and Leeds-based Joe Browns celebrated its 25th birthday with knitwear shoots near Scarborough.

Sustainable fashion brand Trad Collective showed us how to transform abandoned Leeds Festival tents into super-stylish clothes and bags modelled their own designs for us.

There was more, much more, Yorkshire talent - and there is more to come. Here’s to 2024.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​