Fashion

From cotton to silk, hats to clogs, the Northwest has produced them all. Dedicated followers of fashion flocked to the region during the height of the cotton industry. Many stayed, leaving their creative mark on the area’s fashion industry, which is as clear today as the print on a cotton dress.

Textiles are integral to the story of the Northwest and the industrial revolution. During the revolution, the region was the world leader in the cotton industry. Manchester’s Royal Exchange was the home of the cotton industry for 250 years and once controlled 80% of the global trade in finished cotton. The finished articles were produced and sold from the city’s numerous mill and factories.

The great cotton trade also lined the pockets of many a Merseysider too given that the raw material had to be imported, and the finished product was exported from the burgeoning port of Liverpool. Throughout the region it's hard to get away from the centuries-long textile domination of much of our history.

This section shows how fashion helped fashion Manchester. It will take you on a trip through the clothing past and present of the region, and covers the significant contribution of the silk and hatting industries to fashion and textile trends down the years.

Innovation in the textile industry change everything, making each worker able to manage ever-larger numbers of steam-powered looms. Inventions like the Hargreaves ‘spinning jenny’ in 1764 and Crompton’s ‘spinning mule’ in 1779 led the way. The numerous attractions dotted across the region tell the tale of it’s significantly fashionable past, from Stockport’s Hatworks to Windermere’s Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Burnley’s Queen Street Textile Mill to Styal’s Quarry Bank Mill, there’s bags full of fashion heritage to browse through.

Today, if you’re a true clothes horse, then the Northwest will be a haven. Trace the regions fashion heritage from its position as the centre of the world’s cotton industry all the way through to its reputation as a meccah for shopoholics in the 21st century.

Shopping-wise there’s something for everyone in the region, no matter what’s on your list. From the vast mill shops of Lancashire, the craft shops of Cumbria and the unique boutiques of Cheshire, to the fantastic department stores of Manchester and Liverpool – there’s so much to discover.