Fashion Alliance North Symposium

On Tuesday 25 November, from 14:00-18:00, a series of focused panel discussions will draw out actions in response to priority issues. Drinks reception and networking from 18:00-20:00 in the SU. This is a free-to-attend event, hosted in the LSA Theatre and LG and UG Reception areas.

Fashion Alliance North has been borne from over a decade of discussions between Andrew Ibi, Programme Leader for Fashion at Liverpool John Moores University and Sam Hudson-Miles, Course Director for Fashion at Leeds Beckett University, about decentering elite notions of fashion, dispelling the myth that fashion talent, and the industry, is purely London-centric.

Education and the industry have changed. Uncertain times call for new innovations, new modes of storytelling and new ways to celebrate diverse, cultural thinking. The central message is for British fashion to think more broadly and inclusively inengaging, supporting, and building confidence and pride in regional talent.

Fashion and our British cultural perspectives are being challenged – 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 economics of London are making it increasingly more difficult to be a creative student or practitioner in any field. We need a different approach.

Fashion Alliance North is dedicated to supporting our fashion graduates about to enter the industry through an inclusiveapproach to our students' cultural ownership of their Northern heritage and positioning, shining a light on the importanceand relevance of northern fashion talent, class, and identity, and connecting and uniting leading thinkers, fashionacademics, and the fashion industry - from practitioners and micro businesses to global brands.

Fashion Alliance North is timely, aligning with the British Fashion Council’s decentering initiative, led by new CEO, Laura Weir, and the One Creative North project, spearheaded by Jude Kelly CBE and our region’s mayors.

For more information about Fashion Alliance North, including testimonials from our students, the industry, and the British Fashion Council, please follow our LinkedIn account and our Instagram account - @fashion_alliance_north.

The future for our Northern fashion graduates is here – genuinely student-centric, celebratory, and democratic,Fashion Alliance North is the new trailblazer.