As Liverpool Fashion Week showcases the best couture the city has to offer, many of the high fashion stars from Merseyside are busy launching their careers around the world.
The city is known across the UK for its WAG style, but there is a lot more evidence to show that to prove the people of Liverpool have a lot more talent to offer.
Fashion has become more prominent locally over the past few years, with numerous boutiques and vintage shops opening, and ever-expanding fashion courses for students all over the city.
One designer who has benefited from a fashion degree is 22-year-old Leigh Mansfield from Liverpool. She said: “I always had a strong passion for fashion design, and making my own garments. After friends of friends started asking to buy my garments, that’s when I decided I wanted to study fashion design properly in university.”
Leigh has gained work experience with a famous fashion designer in New York City: “My most recent achievement so far is having the chance to be an intern for Vera Wang’s design team, living in New York for three months, and having an amazing time. I met amazing people and Vera herself.”
Another rising star from Huyton is Siobhan Perry, 20, who has been signed by Premier Model Management in London. She has modelled for big names such as Zara, ASOS and many high fashion designers. She told JMU Journalism: “I have walked for some amazing designers including Chanel in Australia which is one of my favourite designers.
“My biggest achievements are travelling to New York, Tokyo, and many other countries to work and I have had some great experiences,” she said.
Siobhan, who was spotted at a competition when she was 15, said she loves her job and it is very exciting. “I have met some amazing people like, Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and at London Fashion week had a chance to meet Janice Dickinson.”
Fellow model, Kevin Potter from Anfield, said: “My biggest campaigns have been for Fred Perry in London and Stone Island in Milan. Recently I did a shoot for Vogue magazine which is probably my biggest achievement. There are brands, designers and photographers I’d love to work with in the future, which I guess inspires me to try my best in what I am doing.”
Luke Trevaskis who took a different route into fashion and is a leading contract publisher and style editor. He said: “This industry is a beacon of private sector wealth that contains a plethora of resources. The doors and connections this market sector possesses are unrivalled.
“I mostly love the fact that no two days are the same. One day you can be on a field styling a high net-worth client, the next you can be spotting next season’s trends on catwalks around the world.”
As these young Liverpool rising stars and others are proving, the standards of local fashion are enhancing the city’s reputation far beyond WAG wannabes.