In the dimly blue light lit black box of The Leeds School of Arts, a determination was shared by the minds of Sam Hudson-Miles, Course Director for Fashion at Leeds Beckett University and Andrew Ibi, Programme Leaders for Fashion at Liverpool John Moores University. Northern students deserve support to create fashion while remaining in Northern England.
Fashion is forever, end of sentence. But there is a significant gap in connecting Northern English students with creative opportunities, which are in London. Sam and Andrew, who launched Fashion Alliance North in June, invited participants to join them in FAN Summat Summat on November 25th, to attend a series of focused panel discussions on FAN’s mission to empower fashion students through pride in their Northern heritage. Andrew shared that fashion students often share a sentiment of “surely, I should be in London”, even if they have their own studio or business in the North.
Andrew made the point that not everyone wants to move to London, and that students should be encouraged to celebrate Northern pride through their creative work. and support for that would look like Northern based fashion shows, university placements, grants, building a platform for Northern students, networking events and emphasising suppliers and manufacturers to work with Northern students; all of which Fashion Alliance North intends to bring through their collective.
Industry Panel
The first panel had many key speakers, such as Katie Rawle, who is Head of Membership & Designer Initiatives at the British Fashion Council, Helen Pheby, who is Head of Culture, Heritage and Sport with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, award winning designer and York native Matty Bovan, and North Yorkshire-born copper artist Sadie Clayton, who is a Leeds School of Arts alumna. The first panel began with the question: How can the fashion industry promote inclusivity for fashion talent outside of London?
Katie Rawle explained that the British Fashion Council wanted to focus on decentralisation so that students from Northern universities could access the fashion industry during and after their courses. This would also include providing more access to grants and scholarship programs for eligible students. She emphasised that “you have to take up space” in an industry that is so centralised in London.
Matty Bovan explained that without a scholarship, he would not be able to study fashion. He said he wanted students to have the “space to make mistakes”, without the ramifications of being a Northern student without prized London connections.
Sadie Clayton touched on the importance of “carving your own path” and pushing boundaries beyond what is thought possible of Northern students. She brought up the topic of how the spaces can be made for students, which prompted a panel-wide discussion about the disproportionate centralisation of the creative industry being in London. There is the idea that well-paying creative jobs are only in London.
The panelists emphasise the need for Northern students to remain where they call home without sacrificing everything to move South in order to chase their dreams. Sadie placed importance on internship, which FAN promises to work with students on so they are able to receive internships and placements within the North rather than seeking them in London.
Sam Hudson-Miles, who has worked with big name fashion houses like Burberry and Alexander McQueen, spoke about the importance of connections and how those connections need to be offered in an adequate space for Northern students. She wants to close the chasm between students and the world once they graduate, connecting students to the industry seamlessly.
One idea mentioned was bringing Future Fabrics Expo, the largest sustainable industry-forward exposition that showcases manufacturers and is annually held in London, to Leeds or Liverpool. Andrew brought up that the cost of funding students to go to London for these events, such as Future Fabrics Expo or London Fashion Week, is extremely costly. It wouldn’t be right for students to have to pay to go themselves when an average return ticket to London is around £120.
When universities are unable to sustain adequate funding, they can rarely afford to bring students, forcing students to pay out of pocket. If the student can not pay, they simply can not go. This is a devastating and discouraging experience for students who deserve to feel supported, and it connects to Andrew’s earlier thought where students believe that if they were to burden the cost of living in London, they would have more access to these types of opportunities.
Katie remarks that “access should be standard”, which closed out the one-hour panel and opens up the floor to a Q&A.
One particularly evocative question was asked by a current student: “What is the value of a degree?”
The answer was led by Sam, who explained that the value is enrichment and for students to be placed in front of opportunities that can’t be learned inside of university. These opportunities include going to a large industry fashion show, learning how a self-made business works from alumni or current successful designers.
In this answer, Sam continued to emphasise the importance of Fashion Alliance North’s mission to bring these opportunities to students in the North, either by encouraging the events to be held in Northern England or by creating the events through Fashion Alliance North to be hosted exclusively in Northern England. She mentioned that Fashion Alliance North would ideally become an “incubator space” to develop students and graduate outcomes.
FAN Magazine
After the panel and a break for refreshments, a beautiful opportunity for students was presented by Senior Lecturer Dr Richard Hudson-Miles. He opened by stating that in order for Northern students to showcase their expertise and talent, it’s important that they control the narrative by taking control of the creative channels.
Richard suggested that a Northern-based creative collaboration for anybody interested in uplifting, supporting and showcasing Northern talent is the route towards a future that embraces Northern students. Richard says that 10% of creative arts students apply to University of the Arts London, which begs the question of what will happen to fashion programmes in Northern universities if all the students decided to not apply?
Richard then presents FAN Magazine through a grunge-punk themed website. FAN Magazine, as Richard explains, is that creative collaboration for students. A magazine that controls the narrative and smashes through the assumption that a person can not be successfully creative if they are not in London. The Senior Lecturer was inspired by the works of Elisa van Joolen in her digital Our Rags magazine and the British Culture Archive.
The ‘phyigital’ magazine has an open call for editors, designers, art directors, writers, photographers, filmmakers, researchers, archivists, shops, venues and organisations. The website is currently live, which links to a form to register interest in either receiving the magazine or contributing to it. Richard encourages interest from everyone in order to truly shift the narrative for Northern students to prosper.
Education Panel
The second panel, dubbed the Education Panel, prompted the question of ‘What is the future of the graduate fashion show?’.
The attending panel members included the previous Matty Bovan and Sam Hudson-Miles, but additionally included Cavan McPherson who is Scottish-based designer and Fashion Lecturer at The Glasgow School of Art who has worked with designers such as Alexander McQueen, Zowie Broach who is the Head of Fashion at the Royal College of Art in London, Sarah Mower who is a fashion journalist and critic for US vogue, and Jacqui Mcassey who is a Senior Fashion Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University and founder of the female fan-centric football publication GIRLFANS.
This panel discussed the purpose of the graduate fashion show—an event that fashion graduates are working towards throughout their entire course. For students, this showcase is an honour and an opportunity to showcase their original designs to the world on a runway. However, the physical runway is falling in favour, leaving designers to scramble to decide what is best to showcase their work.
In a brilliant article by stylist and writer Alex Bäuml titled LFW IS DEAD. BUT THAT’S KIND OF THE POINT, she paints a picture of an exclusive, unsustainable format that disconnects the designer, model and consumer from the experience, yet she finds hope and beauty as a stylist behind-the-scenes. She states, “It’s not fair to these designers pouring their entire heart and soul (and finances…) into a mere fifteen-minute show, nor to the villages’ worth of teams it takes to put them together. In this context, the death of the traditional format is not a lament but a celebration—a necessary turning point.”
To this point, the panel emphasises the purpose of fashion, why fashion, and engaging with the creators that are there. Sarah offers the perspective of being a fashion journalist who has attended many runway shows, and she does not mince words: “It’s boring.”
In this, Sarah encourages breaking away from students and industry leaders, thinking that the runway show is the end all be all of the designers. She points out that there is a lack of connection between the viewer/consumer and the designer, of whom the industry shuts away, either purposely or unintentionally. Designers, ultimately, are inaccessible, which makes a student runway/fashion show more appealing to industry leaders. Students have a story to tell and are able to begin a personal conversation about the pieces they have poured their soul into. “You want to see the world behind the fashion”, Sarah states.
The conversation falls into place about the value of students being funded to attend fashion shows inside of London, particularly London Fashion Week. The panel, ultimately, agrees that Fashion Alliance North’s mission to make a significant fashion week in the North of England would be highly impactful for everyone. Fashion shouldn’t be about entertainment or about giving opportunities to only those who can afford it.
To close out the panel, the panelists share their vision to see the graduate fashion show ultimately evolve beyond the catwalk. If there were to be a fashion show, it would be a celebration of creativity, love, passion, and radical reclamation of what it means to be Northern. Zowie puts it best as the panel ends: “It should be an ‘across the north story’”.
Summary & Takeaways
At the beginning of the event, Sam and Andrew brought our attention to a bank notecard and pen that was methodically placed in each seat. They encouraged us to share our honest takeaways from the event so they could continue to work hard for the future of all students.
I am not British nor from England, but the narrative of Northern students being denied opportunities or encouraged to go to the ‘big city’ in order to really chase their dreams was one I deeply resonated with. There is a similar sentiment for the south back home in the US. Being from Texas, which is considered a part of the Deep South in America, I was often always told that all creative opportunities are in New York or Los Angeles, and there isn’t any opportunity to be had in the south. In my own experience, I found that to be unequivocally false.
In my city of Houston, there was an explosive creative arts scene and beautiful community. Yet, being from the Deep South was a black mark against me the few times I left the state. People from places like New York and Los Angeles acted like it was a miracle I could walk and talk, just because I was from the Deep South. I can’t defend it entirely; we have a lot of issues, but that sentiment forced me to have tough skin and to prove I belonged in every space, that I had a story worth telling.
I felt very connected with the Northern English pride that electrified the room. The passion between many of the designers, lecturers and students was palpable, giving room to the shared mission of supporting students. I, too, understand the plight of being denied opportunities due to financial and geographic reasons. It’s gut-wrenching, and forces you to wonder: What if I had money? What if I was born elsewhere?
These sentiments are born out of insecurity, which is reinforced by society. Whether you were born in a village not too far from Sunderland, or in some geographic location that is deemed to be ‘inferior’ to the location two hours away, you deserve opportunities regardless. Students deserve to be supported no matter what, and to me, it’s clear that England sheds this preference for London and focuses on the amazing talent in the North.
Not everyone wants to live in London, and it shouldn’t be that students are punished for not wanting to pay £2,000+ in rent just to be made fun of for being born in that tiny village outside of Sunderland.
Fashion Alliance North’s event was the beginning of a Northern fashion revolution. They ensured that they had industry insiders within the room and put them in front of students— ultimately flipping the script of students having to beg to even meet industry leaders.
Fashion Alliance North clearly demonstrates that when student wellbeing and support are at the forefront, a future where fashion is for all students is not a dream. It can be a reality, and Fashion Alliance North is determined to make it so, and soon.
For any updates and future events, check out the Fashion Alliance North Instagram.