You know when you have had a post brewing for many months? Well it was my turn to break the habit and present my post on the Leeds Fashion Initiative event I went to back in November 2015 (crikey – that’s 6 months ago now?) It was held at the Leeds Museum which was such a great and unique setting for pre-show drinks surrounded by stuffed animals! Pretty crazy I know, but all the same really cool. Luckily I had Jennie from LifestyledByJennie.co.uk to keep me company in a room full of sophisticated fashionista’s and journalists. It’s crazy how bloggers like us get invited to these events.
Leeds is starting to become much more celebrated and its fast becoming recognised as one of the cool places to be in the North and rapidly, in the UK. With major fashion houses such as Burberry returning to Yorkshire it was only right that our great city should be championed so much more. Everywhere I looked there was somebody gorgeous walking around being papped around me whilst I clambered around, one hand waving my camera around, and the other desperately trying to hold on to a vol-au-vent and a glass of fizz, without looking like an absolute monstrosity of a human being. “Play it cool Bee, play it cool!” I could hear my inner thoughts breathing down my neck.
Once suitably “boozed up” we were led in to the auditorium of Leeds City Museum. With a fantastic introduction from the House of Coco founder & editor Laura Bartlett, whose magazine is eye wateringly cool I must add, it was great to see all these fab, inspiring projects bursting from Leeds’ seams. Even Judith Blake, the Leader of Leeds City Council, (a pretty badass babe if I don’t mind saying so myself!) made me want to jump out of my chair and “whoop whoop” along because it was so great to see someone so passionate about driving this city to be something more than extra ordinary and championing it’s creatives that live in amongst it. Ishwari Thopte (Centre for Fashion Enterprise, CFE) and Adam Jagger (Leeds Fashion Initiative, LFI) also spoke of their passion to make Leeds a capital for fashion too & what was driving them so hard to do so.
We were treated to a fashion show by some of the local Fashion initiatives, sadly I had to leave halfway through, but the classic cuts along with the adrogynous style was pretty impeccable, not forgetting the bright and brash colour palettes that just scream “HELLO I NEED TO BE ON LFW SHARPISH.” But then I thought to myself, bloody hell, Leeds is just great. Why do we even need London Fashion Week anyway when there is so much raw talent. I say we need a Fashion Week up here too, so each year so we can celebrate just how awesome Leeds is as a city. It’s rich with a raw talent pool of creatives, artists and designers! There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of this city and it’s so exciting to see it propelled to the forefront of being one of the most desirably, cultural places to be.
I’m so excited for next years offerings & hopefully this time I can stay around for a few more prosecco’s at the after party!
Bee xxx
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