I went to the North’s biggest fashion event outside of London.
The Cheshire Fashion Week had partnered with Porsche this year for a three day fashion extravaganza between 13th and 15th June. First formed in 2019 by Claire Namukolo Raven, the show highlights upcoming fashion talent from around the globe.
I went down to the catwalk events to see if this fashion show really is the next best thing to London Fashion Week.
With high expectations from the last night, the next event was held on 15th June in the Porsche Centre Chester. Inside were luxury cars in front of large CFW posters for the perfect Instagram post, with one eye-catching display of flora around one veiled car in the middle of the catwalk.
Once all the guests were seated, and exhausted the free bar, CEO Claire Namukolo Raven introduced the night with a special thanks to everyone who attended this year’s fashion week. To kick start the evening, the hidden car was unveiled to be Porsche’s newest Tycan car model, which is their most sustainable yet.
Aromastaples was second to hit the catwalk, after a return from White Stuff. Their bespoke bridal collection was breathtaking – you never would have known their collection was handcrafted.
The designer, Peter, said: “We want women and young girls to feel happy and comfortable. Our dresses are handmade and bespoke, so they are made to specification. We aren’t just making people beautiful, we’re looking to be sustainable too.”
Among some returning looks from last night, the Sensualist’s collection was unique, with their bright and fun fluffy hats it was certainly a statement. Hassana Dauda Ismail displayed elegant yet simply designed outfits on the other hand, which made for some stunning evening looks.
The next designer collection was from Rafael Azevedo, who was the youngest designer there at 18 years old. His handcrafted collection focused on traditional culture with a modern twist.
On his first runway collection, he said: “It was really fun seeing how the outfits looked on the runway. With our collection, we’re trying to make it as sustainable as possible, we are using dead-stock fabric and 100% biodegradable fabric such as cotton and linen. The inspiration for the collection is Mediterranean and culture in general and mixing it with more modern aspects.”
Despite many amazing looks, the last collection was poorly fitted to the models, causing several pieces to pop out of one of the dresses and almost causing a trip hazard for the other models.
Alas, the night overall was super, with an electric atmosphere and drinks flowing, the Cheshire Fashion Show was an amazing event for any fashion-enthusiast.