Grainger Market Becomes a Catwalk for Fashion Britain

The Grainger Market is better known for butchers, bakers and fruit stalls than for runways, but on Saturday 26 September it was turned into a catwalk. The show was Newcastle's contribution to Fashion Britain, the British Fashion Council's new nationwide programme, and it put home-grown design talent in front of shoppers in one of the city's most familiar buildings.

Why it matters for the city

Fashion Britain is a British Fashion Council initiative to celebrate creativity across the UK rather than only in London, with around 1,000 events taking place this September. Newcastle was one of the cities chosen to take part. For a city centre that has seen plenty of change on its shopping streets, an event like this is a reminder that the historic market can be a stage for culture as well as a place to buy your weekly veg.

As Retail Times reported, Newcastle City Council chief executive Pam Smith said the city was "incredibly proud to be part of the British Fashion Council's nationwide Fashion Britain programme."

Future Heritage on the runway

The catwalk showcased winning designs from Future Heritage, a creative project set up by Eldon Square with Newcastle College and Fenwick Newcastle to mark the shopping centre's 50th anniversary. Around 80 students from fashion, textiles, marketing, art and design courses responded to a live brief about Newcastle's past, present and future, and the strongest garment designs were brought to life on the runway.

The show also included a catwalk from award-winning Newcastle designer Lamin Gibba and his label Jerry J Clothing. Gibba is himself a Newcastle College alumnus, which gave the afternoon a neat line from the classroom to a working local fashion business.

Best for: The Grainger Market sits between Grainger Street and Clayton Street in the heart of Grainger Town, a short walk from Monument Metro and Eldon Square.

A sign of things to come

FashionUnited described the Newcastle show as an example of what Fashion Britain could mean for fashion outside the capital, and you can read its coverage of the event. Whether the programme returns next year remains to be seen, but the market has shown it can host something rather different from its everyday trade.