North: Identity, Photography, Fashion at Open Eye Gallery
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.
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.
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.
North: Identity, Photography and Fashion will be on show at the Open Eye Gallery until 19 March 2017. For more information, visit the
