With only a few days to go, city centre retailers are making their final preparations as Manchester gets ready to make fashion history as the UK host to the illustrious Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out (FNO).
The global shopping event, which has already made an appearance in some of the world’s most fashionable cities this year, lands in Manchester on Thursday, October 10th for one night only between 6pm-11pm.
Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out was launched for the first time in New York in 2009, by Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour to lift the sombre mood during the recession and jumpstart the retail economy. In 2012, over 70,000 people descended onto the streets of London to celebrate and shop during Fashion’s Night Out. Manchester city centre retailers are preparing for what is set to be one of their biggest nights of the year.
More than 160 city centre shops, bars, galleries and restaurants have signed-up and will be open late into the night, offering exclusive trend parties, designer personal appearances, customisations, fashion shows, celebrity appearances and much more.
The party will also extend into the streets with an outdoor ‘Vogue Eats’ pop-up market on King Street, bringing to life the recently-launched magazine page with a variety of local vendors. The Heart of Manchester BID has organised a special ‘soon-to-be announced’ gig in St Ann’s Church and sets by Manchester DJs in St Ann’s Square, while Flannels will host an evening with Manchester-born designer Matthew Williamson. Street style photographer from top Manchester blog, The Mancorialist, will be capturing shoppers in and around the Gap store.
Headlining the night’s fashionable activities will be Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman and her team. Alexandra will be hosting an opening party at Hugo Boss with a dazzling guest list and activities that include personalised fashion illustrations by Clym Evernden and cocktails by Remy Martin. Contributing Fashion Editor Kate Phelan will be on hand at Topshop to offer advice on how to dress for Autumn/Winter. Fashion Director Lucinda Chambers, Fashion Editor Francesca Burns and Style Editor Emma Elwick-Bates will be offering unmissable style advice at a variety of stores, from H&M and Kurt Geiger to Emporio Armani and Mulberry.
On King Street, Cath Kidston is hosting a 20th birthday cocktail tea party with a free tea leaf reading with every purchase, while Whistles will be offering clutch bag monogramming. Guests can enjoy exfoliating hand and arm massages at Molton Brown. ‘Wreck My Dress’ will also be positioned at Molton Brown’s St. Ann’s store to take snapshots of guests at a mini photo shoot.
Additional highlights include a ‘British Warm’ party at Crombie, where guests will have the chance to be styled and photographed in famous Crombie Coats; there will be a live pop-up photo shoot in store at H&M, as well as a high street A/W fashion show and super-sized digital tweet wall within Manchester Arndale. Keep a look out around the city for a Selfridges host giving out gift cards loaded with a mystery amount from £5-£50 (while stocks last). Radio 1 DJ Jameela Jamil will be on the decks in store, with a surprise celebrity guest selling the official Fashion’s Night Out T-shirts in a yellow Selfridges van. Along with being part of ‘Vogue Eats’ on King Street, Hey Little Cupcake will be supplying Whistles, Superdry and Ted Baker (Selfridges concession) with delicious treats on the evening.
There will also be an emerald and diamond necklace on show in Mappin and Webb; a complimentary Prosecco bar at Marks and Spencer; as well as a catwalk in Exchange Square featuring aspiring fashion designers from Salford University and Manchester Metropolitan University. Harvey Nichols will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Manchester store.
Vogue have also teamed up with Malmaison to launch a competition in which one lucky winner will receive an invitation to the Hugo Boss opening party, a spa treatment for two at Le Petit Spa, dinner at The Smoak Bar and Grill and entry to the fabulous after party. On 1st October 2013, between 4:00pm and 6:30pm, a limited number of official FNO T-shirts will be available for £18 at Malmaison Hotel in the city centre. Purchase a T-shirt and provide your name and contact details, and you will automatically be entered into the competition.
All proceeds from FNO t-shirt sales will be donated to ‘Save the Children’, the official charity picked by Alexandra Shulman, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue.
With so many retailers participating in the event, Vogue have devised a comprehensive map of the city detailing exactly what’s on and where http://www.vogue.co.uk/special-events/fashions-night-out#MapTitle so shoppers can efficiently plan their night and reap the rewards.
Jane Sharrocks, General Manager of Selfridges Exchange Square and Chair of Heart of Manchester BID, said: “Once at the heart of a vibrant textiles industry, Manchester’s importance to fashion is unquestionable. Bringing Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out to Manchester is the next logical step in the evolution of the event in the UK. Other cities around the world have welcomed thousands of shoppers to join in the fun and we’re thrilled to be the newest host.”
Last year, in addition to events happening in London and across the US, Fashion’s Night Out was held in 25 cities across the globe; Paris, Rome, Milan, Florence, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Madrid, Moscow, St Petersburg, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Sydney, Seoul, Shanghai, New Delhi, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tokyo, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Athens and Thessaloniki.
For more information about Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out visit: www.vogue.co.uk/event/fashion’s-night-out
Like the official FNO Facebook page www.facebook.com/FNOManchester and follow the #FNO hashtag on Twitter @BritishVogue for all FNO updates.
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