The Fashion Scene in Liverpool is Thriving, So Why Isn't the Fashion Job Market?
Aspiring fashion professionals in Liverpool may have noticed that recently the city is abundant in creatives, events, and local fashion coverage - but if we're steadily securing our position on the map for fashion, as a city - why are we all feeling the unspoken struggle of breaking into the industry here?
Destined Magazine writer, Liberty, catches up with some of Liverpool's fashion professionals to discuss career routes, if Liverpool is a sustainable city to pursue fashion in, and what the less glamorous side of the industry that no one really sees actually looks like.
As an aspiring fashion creative myself, I’ve often wondered: how do you actually get into the industry?
I’ve spoken to four wonderful creatives to find out how they found their way into fashion, the struggles they’ve faced along the way and where they see themselves in the future.
Traditionally, a career in fashion would mean securing a graduate position at a major fashion house, most likely in London. But this tradition is out of style. There is now an ever-changing definition of what it means to work in fashion. My interviewees demonstrate that fashion careers can be built through independent labels, starting in their childhood bedroom, spontaneously being scouted to becoming a model whilst at uni, realising a gap in the market from own personal experience for adaptive clothing, to not even realising this was your real passion until halfway through uni. These four journeys prove that there’s no one-size-fits-all route.
There is no blueprint for getting into fashion.
Photo: Samir Edwards-Sutton's clothing brand @silly_autistic_mentality
For some, a career in fashion begins from as early as you can remember, for others it is something discovered along the way. For Samir Edwards-Sutton, the inspiration was personal. Being neurodivergent himself, he experienced difficulties with clothing, hating the way it felt on his skin and growing a hatred towards shopping days with his mother, simply not having a care for it. His sensory sensitivities became his superpower, however, and he began to question why fashion wasn’t more accommodating to people with different needs. What started as a personal frustration developed into a creative ambition. Making clothing more accessible for the neurodivergent and disabled community. While studying Fashion Design at Liverpool John Moores, followed by a master’s in Fashion Innovation, having initially struggled to find work after his undergraduate degree, Samir began developing his own label, Silly Autistic Mentality.
Photo: Katy Evans' brand @k4ture - photographed by @finno_photography_liverpool
Katy Evans’ route was rather different. After studying Fine Art at Liverpool Hope University, her interest in fashion developed through experimentation. What began with painting designs onto her clothing eventually evolved into screen printing on second-hand garments, combining her creative interests with a more sustainable approach to fashion. Who doesn’t love that!
Now running K4ture, Katy has developed her business through online selling, local retail opportunities, and collaborations with musicians and independent events. Her journey demonstrates that a fashion career doesn’t necessarily begin with the intention to set up a brand; it begins
with simply making something you want to wear yourself.
Photo: Daisy Craig's brand @secondangelstudio - photographed by @bloom_creative_studio
For Daisy Craig, fashion was also a journey of discovery. After initially exploring jewellery during COVID, Daisy moved towards clothing, now running her own fashion label, Second Angel Studios. Her university experience at Liverpool John Moores opened doors to modelling and styling, allowing her to build connections and establish herself in the industry before even graduating, even taking a year out amidst to pursue modelling further. There’s no hurry or set timeline of how you should be getting into a fashion career!
Bethany Ellis photographed by @roze.pixel , @emsaundersphotography , @bloom_creative_studio , @angelawilkinsonphotography , @finno_photography_lvp
Bethany Ellis, meanwhile, describes fashion as a passion that has always been there, even when she wasn’t necessarily pursuing it professionally. After meeting fellow content creatives and being encouraged to put herself forward, she began taking her interests in modelling and fashion more seriously.
Heard it here, folks, there is no single route into the fashion industry.
Behind the glamour
For all its glitz and glamour, the fashion industry is rarely as effortless as it may seem. Behind the finished collections, carefully curated editorials, and glossy campaigns, lies an industry that can be difficult to access and sometimes even endure.
It's a well known structure the majority of fashion headquarters follow, basing themselves over in Manchester, and London, and despite Liverpool being a home to a handful of fashion jobs, the roles being limited means there's more competition. With our fashion education improving, our history and culture being showcased, and Liverpool as a city becoming more desirable to settle down in - our fashion job market becomes one like a labour surplus.
In an industry formed largely on connections and nepotism in order to secure roles, Liverpool suffers from the generational city-wide barrier of non-existent university, and professional networks in fashion.
For Samir, one of the biggest obstacles has been navigating an industry he describes as "gatekeeping”. Despite the opportunities that came through university, securing work experience and finding his footing professionally was not always straightforward. Now working in retail at Giorgio Armani, he balances a four-day working week with the development of his own brand, using his employment to fund the creative ambitions he hopes to pursue full-time.
He also speaks candidly about his struggles with imposter syndrome, describing how being surrounded by talented designers at university could make him question his own abilities. Sometimes, he suggests, the biggest obstacle is the doubt we place in ourselves.
For Daisy, the barriers have been more financial. Coming from a family without a university background, navigating higher education and the fashion industry meant learning things that others may have already known. The importance of building a portfolio, gaining experience and understanding which opportunities to pursue were not always made clear. She also highlights the expectation that emerging creatives should work for free, even when the companies benefiting from their work can afford to pay. Pure cheek if you ask me!
Bethany’s challenges have centred more on confidence and visibility. Building an audience and making connections as a creative in the North can feel isolating, particularly when opportunities seem concentrated elsewhere. Yet, her advice is simple: “do what you want to do and be kind with yourself. From that you’ll find the rest, you’ll gain the connections as you’ve believed in yourself.”, which is just quite beautiful.
Katy’s experience offers another perspective. For an independent designer balancing her own business with other commitments, the challenge is often finding the time to make opportunities happen. Networking may open doors, but turning an introduction into a collaboration is not always straightforward when everyone has their own schedules and responsibilities. It can sometimes feel like you have to be in the right place at the right time. Or do you just put yourself out there enough times that it is the right place at the right time?
Their experiences highlight a side of fashion that is often overlooked. Talent and ambition matter, but so does financial security, confidence, access to opportunities, support, and resources along the way.
A city worth staying for
A common theme emerging from the conversation is that this passionate bunch are loyal to Merseyside. Why leave? Especially now. Liverpool’s fashion scene is gaining momentum with events such as City of Style and Beyond the Rail, so why ditch it as it’s finding its prime spot in the industry?
Although all four felt the pressure to move away from Liverpool in pursuit of more opportunities in London or other so-called ‘fashion capitals’, they all recognised the potential of what their own city has to offer. For years, London has been considered the natural destination for anyone serious about pursuing a career in fashion. Its established networks, fashion houses, and abundance of opportunities make it an obvious attraction for emerging creatives. Yet, perhaps the question is no longer simply where the opportunities are, but how to create them closer to home. For Samir, the appeal of staying is rooted in community. Although he recognises that cities such as Manchester and London can offer greater access to experience and industry connections, he doesn’t necessarily see them as places he wants to build his future. Instead, he hopes to contribute to Liverpool’s creative scene, helping to create the opportunities he once found difficult to access himself.
Bethany and Daisy, however, are more familiar with the pressure to look elsewhere. Both have considered the prospect of moving to London, acknowledging that many traditional graduate positions and established fashion roles remain concentrated in the capital. For Bethany, the thought has always lingered, although her close connection to family makes leaving less straightforward. Daisy shares similar frustrations, particularly having watched university peers relocate for placements and opportunities that are harder to find locally.
But there are signs the city’s creative landscape is beginning to shift. Katy is particularly optimistic, pointing to the growing number of independent events, collaborations, and initiatives bringing Liverpool’s fashion community together. From local showcases to opportunities for emerging designers, she believes creatives are increasingly choosing to invest in the city rather than looking elsewhere.
There is something intrinsically encouraging about this shift. Liverpool’s fashion scene is so special as it feels less like an industry and more like a family. The community built on familiar faces, shared spaces and connections that often begin through a friend, a collaboration or simply showing up to support someone else’s work. Designers, models, stylists and independent creatives aren’t just competing for recognition; they are helping one another find opportunities, sharing their skills and creating platforms for each other to be seen. There is a real sense that people want to see their neighbours succeed. In a notoriously competitive industry, that kind of support can be just as valuable as the opportunities themselves.
Perhaps Liverpool’s strength lies not in trying to replicate London’s fashion industry, but in developing an identity of its own. One shaped by its people, their spirit and the relationships that hold this creative community together. The opportunities may not always be obvious, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. And for a generation of creatives determined to make their mark, perhaps staying is becoming just as ambitious a decision as leaving.
So, Are you Destined For The Industry?
Four creatives, four different journeys, all with a shared determination to find their places in an industry that doesn’t always make it easy to belong to. From challenging traditional designs to building independent businesses, these experiences demonstrate that there is no single route into fashion, nor one city in which success must be found.
Of course, Liverpool may not offer every opportunity that London does, and for some, moving away will remain part of the journey. But perhaps the idea that you have to leave to make it is one worth questioning. With a growing creative community and a new generation willing to create opportunities for themselves, Liverpool is proving that ambition doesn’t have to come with a change of postcode.
After all, do you really have to leave Liverpool to make it on fashion?
These four seem pretty determined to prove there’s plenty to get on with...
What if there was an easier way to find Liverpool fashion opportunities?
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Written by Liberty Squires
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