Is Manchester the New Online Fashion Capital of the UK?
Fashion in the North West: Manchester is the online fashion capital of the UK.
In a post Brexit UK there will be some fundamental shifts in UK top cities and locations. Manchester, a city known as a football centre and powerhouse is recently in an apple position to lead some of the fast growing areas from finance, digital industries to special Fashion. According to Wikipedia: Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 514,417 as of 2013. Manchester lies within the United Kingdom's second-most populous urban area, with a population of 2.55 million. Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation. The North, and particularly cities like Manchester, has experienced significant growth over the past few years. A report commissioned by Oxford Economics, entitled ‘Beyond the City’, showed that Manchester had seen a sharp upturn in job creation between 2010 to June 2015. It was also predicted that Manchester would outperform some of the world’s top cities, including Berlin, Paris and Tokyo, for jobs growth over the next five years.
The future of fashion in Manchester
One of the leading events driving this is the Manchester Fashion Week will come back 2017 will take place once again at The Castlefield Rooms, M3 4LZ with the following program: Monday 22 May 2017 - Opening Couture Night. Tuesday 23 May 2017 - Emerging Talent. Wednesday 24 May 2017 - Exhibition afternoon and fashion industry networking evening. In a new and unique report, digital recruitment specialist Forward Role has explored Manchester’s growing influence in the digital industry. Speaking to experts from a number of independent brands, and Manchester-based fashion giant Boohoo.com, the report delves into the city’s historic roots in fashion and whether it could ever overtake London as the online fashion capital of the UK. You only have to take a stroll down some of Manchester’s streets to recognise that this is a city that is putting itself firmly on the fashion map.
You can read their thoughts in more detail here.
Steve Thompson, Managing Director of Forward Role, commented:
“Over the past few years, Manchester has proven that it’s a vibrant city, able to stand on its own two feet and thrive. Its tremendous growth in the fashion industry proves this. Our report explores what has prompted a city that was once known as ‘Cottonopolis’ to transform into a modern hub for fashion driven by digital, where designers seeking jobs or a place to start their own brand now flock to. Manchester has so much going for it; a good economy, a rich history, fantastic job prospects, and we believe great things lie ahead for the city. People and businesses with years of heritage in the sector are looking at the likes of Boohoo.com and their £600k flotation and thinking, if they can do it, why can’t we? It’s extremely exciting to be part of!”
As strong as Manchester’s reputation is becoming in fashion circles, businesses surely need more than a trendy vibe in order to bring their operations to this neck of the woods? In truth, Manchester ticks a lot of boxes!
