Interview: Leeds Fashion Show

Hebe Media’s Shang Ting and Stacey interviewed Sherelle Davidson and Rhonda Richards from Leeds Fashion Show earlier this week. With the show just 5 days away they reveal to us the reason for holding the event at Leeds Museum; the layout of the show; and, most importantly, how they intend to come back bigger and better than ever.

Leeds Fashion Show is in its 5th year this year, how did it all begin?

It was initially put together as a place for someone wanting to get into the industry. After graduating university, you’re not really set-up to go into the industry and it’s quite hard getting the experience so it was an ideal situation to offer.

Would it be fair to say that Leeds Fashion Show focuses on working primarily with recent graduates?

Definitely.

How do you feel about the venue? Why did you choose Leeds Museum?

It is the 5th year and we want to come back bigger and better. We had a few ideas when choosing the venue. We considered Royal Armouries, Leeds football stadium, Alea Casino, we just wanted it somewhere other than the night clubs. We normally have it in the nightclub setting, which opens the audience to a younger age group. And in choosing the museum, even though we have got a bar there, there’s no age limit.

From the footage last year, it seems like Leeds Fashion Show had a very intimate, gig-like feeling. Is it going to be a similar vibe this year?

We’d probably say a bit of a mixed vibe. One, because the theme is glamorous so when you're dressed up you want to feel more sophisticated, and two, although the venue is big, the layout of the stage, which you will see on the night, still keeps it very intimate.

How do you select the music acts?

We have chosen two acts this year. One is a violinist, which will be something new and different and we’ll have a singer as well. We normally hold auditions because of all the talent out there, but we already had people in mind last year, so we approached them. We normally have dancers but because of the glamorous theme we thought it might not be appropriate.

The layout of the show?

We open the show with entertainment and we have two people co-hosting the show. Then it goes on to the actual shops and designers' showcase. That’s the first half followed by a break. The second half will have more entertainment and a competition. What we also have this year is a competition with Lotherton Hall, put on by Philip Treacy. It‘s call Ruffled Feathers and it’s all to do with kids getting involved by making hats. It’s a competition for them to win a prize from Philip Treacy. We thought that it fits quite well with the venue and it helps kids get into the creative industry. Six of the winning hats will be showcased on the catwalk.  We will also have a charity auction and raffle. We've got some wicked prizes this year so we do remind you to bring your wallet with lots of money in it. After all that we sign off and go to the after party at Revolution in Electric Press where we have a photo shoot area, so make sure you go take a picture and that’s something you can take away.

How do you decide on the winner?

For the designers, it is done in stages. The designers will send us their mood board, designs, and materials. One of the judges will be Accent, which is sponsoring the award. And one of the other judges is a secret which we will reveal on the night.

What is the highlight of the show this year?

This year will be something new to us: the venue, the shape of the catwalk, the theme of the event, and being part of Leeds Loves Shopping. But each year it has to be different. And what we want out of this is success for all of our models, all of our designers and all of our photographers.