Being independent and working class... two qualities the fashion industry is far too quick to roll its eyes at. It’s why you so often see people celebrating anyone who manages to break through from this kind of background (and why I talk about it so much myself). At times, it feels as though the industry was built without us in mind, leaving us to create our own path to success from scratch. . Earlier this year, I had the privilege of interviewing Liz Connolly, a self-made Scouse fashion...

She left behind the city that never let her in, and now she’s building a new kind of fashion empire, one stitched with class, defiance, and Northern grit. Merseyside-based fashion designer, Melissa-Kate, talks creative breakthrough, elitist funding, and her leaving the big smoke to rediscover her creative life up north. Melissa-Kate has always had fashion in her blood. She knew she wanted to be a designer before she could even spell it! Sketching dresses at five years old and never really...

Since appointing Laura Weir as their new CEO, the British Fashion Council have been preparing for a whole new refresh of the bi-annual...