Raf Simons menswear Autumn Winter 2003, Paris Menswear Fashion Week. Copyright Catwalking.com
The north of England is a region with a distinct identity. Over the past 50 years or so it’s developed and refined its own style, culture, and way of life – from the Beatles to Madchester – and has had an undeniable influence on fashion and image-makers around the world.
Photograph by Jason Evans, Untitled, Manchester, 1997 – 02
The latest exhibition at Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery explores just that. North: Identity, Photography and Fashion, curated by SHOWstudio editor Lou Stoppard and academic Adam Murray (who also co-founded photography collective Preston Is My Paris) looks at how the region has influenced fashion and visual culture – including Raf Simons’ parkas created for his AW03 collection in collaboration with record sleeve designer Peter Saville, and a project by Hacienda designer Ben Kelly and American fashion designer Virgil Abloh inspired by 1980s northern England.
Photograph by Jamie Hawkesworth, Preston Bus Station, 2010
The exhibition features a mixture of art, photography and garments that come together to show the various components that make up northern style – and go beyond the stereotypes. It explores society, culture and music and it has a real northern grit about it. It’s not experimental, inaccessible or idealistic, rather a representation and celebration of the north of England quite unlike anything we’ve seen before.
Photograph by Stephen McCoy, From the series Skelmersdale, 1984
North: Identity, Photography and Fashion will be on show at the Open Eye Gallery until 19 March 2017. For more information, visit the website.
Photograph by Alice Hawkins, Derrin Crawford & Demi-Leigh Cruickshank in ‘The Liver Birds’ LOVE magazine, Liverpool, 2012
Words by Angharad Jones. Images courtesy of Open Eye Gallery
