On the evening of Friday 19th October, the Brodrick Bar in Leeds Town Hall saw a great mix of northern retailers, brands and local new designers come together. The Hip Store, Dressed of Harrogate and Fashion Pony were among the crowd that came to enjoy a free evening of networking drinks organised by yourbrandspace.com, the free virtual showroom for wholesale fashion buyers, and FAB, the Fashion Association of Britain, which represents and supports independent retailers.
Samantha Bleasby and Louisa Valvano, co-founders of
yourbrandspace
The event was the fourth time that yourbrandspace.com and FAB had cooperated, with well-attended events having been held earlier in the year in Manchester, Brighton and London. This time more than 60 local retailers and designers gathered at the Town Hall just before Leeds Fashion Show was launched with a catwalk show.
The decision to coincide the drinks with the Leeds Fashion Show came from the desire to support young designers and create an opportunity for them to mix with local retailers and press. Rhonda Richards, one of the organisers of Leeds Fashion Show, said: “The industry drinks organised by yourbrandspace and FAB allowed a rare chance for local brands and retailers to get together and share ideas and experiences. yourbrandspace is an innovative idea and will really help young designers step on the wholesale fashion ladder and we are very happy to be working with them.”
Carole Hilton-Stone from Dressed of Harrogate with Dale Hicks,
managing director of the Manchester Fashion Network and Louisa
Valvano, co-founder of yourbrandspace
Carole Hilton-Stone, owner of womenswear independent Dressed of Harrogate and a FAB committee member, concurred; “Leeds Fashion Show started with a lively drinks reception, sponsored by yourbrandspace and FAB. The place was buzzing with budding and established fashionistas, providing the perfect opportunity to network with like-minded individuals who are relevant to our industry. The show itself was impressive in every way and I personally felt very proud for every designer involved. What a moment for them.”
She added: “The fashion industry like all others is changing in the way it does business. yourbrandspace.com is at the forefront of that change and provides a fantastic service. FAB is there to support independent retailers and to save them money and stress. These are two extremely valuable services coming together to support the northern fashion industry.”
Samantha Bleasby, co-founder of yourbrandspace with Alessandra Bersan, who won Designer of the Year 2012 later in the evening
Samantha Bleasby and Louisa Valvano, co-founders of yourbrandspace, along with FAB would like to thank everyone who attended the event. They are now looking forward to welcoming the industry to the next complimentary joint networking event in Colchester on November 5th. Retailers, brands and suppliers can sign up for free by contacting [email protected]
