Deborah Linton brings you her A to Z of local brands, boutiques and some of the world’s most admired designers ... and they all started life in Manchester ...

WITH summer style in its final few weeks and autumn fashions making their way into the shops as we speak, we take the chance to remind ourselves just why Manchester deserves its fashion crown.

Here is your indispensable A to Z of local brands and boutiques, from the hidden gems on your local high street and the old faithful fashion fixes on your doorstep to some of the world’s hottest and most admired designers. And they all started life right here in Manchester.

• Afflecks, 52, Church Street, city centre – this Northern Quarter institution stands for all that is wonderful about independent, alternative fashion. An eclectic emporium filled with clothes, jewels and treasures since 1982, and any self-respecting Mancunian has scoured its stalls. Wayne Hemingway famously started his Red Or Dead clothing line there.
• Bond, 719, Wilmslow Road and 130, Burton Road, Didsbury – a fashionable friend where you will always find just the right piece at the right time. Bond stocks an ever-changing capsule collection of trendy, affordable pieces, including Danish brands Vero Moda and Vila, with new stock in every week.
• Collette Costello – a retro-inspired brand, based at Salford Quays, that specialises in ‘bright, funky patterns’, according to Collette who launched in 2006 and designs all the products, including purses and bags, in house. Their motto is ‘brighten up your life’. collettecostello.co.uk.
• Denis Hope, 83-85, Drake Street, Rochdale – a beacon of style on a local high street, this family business set out in 1959 to bring the latest designer mens and womenswear from Europe to the north west and are still doing it. Friendly staff are happy to source sizes and styles.
• Edwards of Manchester, 61, Deansgate, city centre – this Barton Arcade shop’s bespoke leather shoes have graced the feet of the city’s gentry and footballers since 1830. The oldest independent shoe shop outside London.
• Flannels, St Ann’s Place, city centre – the original designer boutique that pre-dates the wags who shop there. Flannels has built a reputation as a one-stop shop for premium womens and menswear from design houses including Gucci, D&G, Prada and YSL. Catch the basement clearance store, at 49, Oldham Street, where stock is up to 80 per cent off.
• General Store, 7, Barton Arcade, Deansgate, city centre – edgy, rock ‘n’ roll-inspired streetwear labels for men and women in a very cool shop layout. It pitches as ‘the backlash against uniformity’. Brands include Ringspun, Buddhist Punk and Bolongaro Trevor, who are behind the cult All Saints store.
• Henry Holland and Hervia Bazaar, 40, Spring Gardens, city centre – the Ramsbottom-born designer, whose cheeky House Of Holland collections have continued to excite the fashion world since his 2006 launch, is the perfect anchor for the independent, luxury boutique at the top of King Street. A match made in style heaven.
• Intro Menswear, 51, Deansgate, city centre – an independent store which sells a great range of urban brands, offering high end Mancunian street style for men. Good for jeans and eye-catching T-shirts for a night out, and super-trendy knitwear if you’re feeling a bit daring, boys.
• Junk, 2, Dale Street, city centre – clothes handmade everyday and vintage pieces turned into pretty one-offs by owner Charlotte Keyworth. Their ethical fashion is supplied to Oxfam boutiques and they also run courses in sustainable fashion. Look out for the young designers’ rail, showcasing local talent.
• Kendals, 92-96, Deansgate, city centre – now owned by House of Fraser, Kendals has been at the heart of Manchester’s shopping for an amazing 175 years. Your mum, gran and great-gran will all have shopped there for the same reasons – when it comes to a department store, you just can’t beat it.
• Life, 15/17, Old Bank Street, city centre – a sister store to Flannels, this is the more dressed down offer from Neil Prosser’s Flannels fashion chain. The collection includes more casual labels such as Elvis Jesus, Stone Island and Ralph Lauren, as well as jewellery and accessories to complement your designer get-up.
• Moo Boutique, 127, Heaton Moor Road, Stockport – a fledgling brand driven by its ethical ethos, the feel is pretty and trendy and there are some very good prices. Every piece is tagged as either independent designer, fairtrade, organic, recycled, made in England, vintage or quality brand.
• Nis for Network, as in Manchester Fashion Network – a tiny team of three based in Barton Arcade who live and breathe the city’s style scene. They set up with the sole mission of promoting the Manchester fashion industry and representing local brands, and are doing a pretty sterling job through networking events, marketing work and manchesterfashion.com.
• Oxfam Originals, 51, Oldham Street, city centre – a charity shop boutique crammed with vintage treasures. Oxfam has done the hard work by taking their most elite hand-me-downs, including designer names, and putting them all in here so you can own a little piece of style history, and the money goes to charity.
• Pop Boutique, 34-36, Oldham Street, city centre – the pioneer of all things vintage and kitsch, Pop is a local institution which has been injecting fab retro style into wardrobes for over 25 years. P is also for Pretty Green, the dapper fashion line by Burnage boy and former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.
• Q is for Quarter, as in Northern Quarter – a hive of creativity and independent businesses in the heart of the city. Anchored by Afflecks, some of its best stores are picked out in this feature. Take a stroll along Oldham Street, Tib Street, Thomas Street and Dale Street and you’ll find a wealth of unique collections and exciting names on offer.
• Retro Rehab, 91, Oldham Street, city centre – a great vintage offer featuring lots of ’70s maxi frocks and ’60s minis reworked for modern girls. Everything in store is over 30 years old.
• Sunday Best, 56, Bank Street, Rawtenstall – a Lancashire boutique whose loyal following love its carefully selected designer clothes and whose seasonal sales are the talk of the town. The collection includes dozens of well known designers and plenty of less familiar ones.
• Thomas St Post Office, 61, Thomas Street, city centre – described as ‘high end street wear’ by its owners, this menswear boutique brings brands from around the world aimed at men in their 20s and 30s. Owned by the same people as Carhartt, labels include Stussy and Undefeated.
• Urban Edge – very fast fashion at very low prices, some say cheaper than Primark. The store has just opened near Piccadilly, on the way to the railway station, and is from the people behind Manchester website Boohoo.com, the online fashion fix that is popping up in every magazine around.
• Vivienne Westwood – a designer so great she was made a dame. After decades in the business, the Glossop-born matriarch of British fashion and punk style continues to produce collections, available in Manchester from her flagship King Street store and the Anglomania shop on Bridge Street.
• W is for Williamson – Matthew William- son – born in Chorlton, he worked for clothing line
• Monsoon before debuting his own collection in 1997. His bright, intricately detailed gowns were worn on the red carpet by some of the world’s most beautiful women and his feminine, understated and elegant designs have continued to be ever since.
• X as in Royal EXchange Arcade – the historic arcade between St Ann’s Square and Cross Street has refound its place in the city’s modern shopping offer as a jewellery centre with a string of specialist boutiques that provide contemporary, traditional and bespoke gems.
• Young designers – our universities are awash with them. Salford was named best portfolio by British Fashion Council this year while Manchester Metropolitan University’s ones to watch include Rebecca Thomson, who took the top prize at Graduate Fashion Week, Holly Russell, whose followers include Lady Gaga, and Nabil-el-Nayal who has designed for River Island.
• Zips, buttons and hems can all be fixed at Stitches, 16, St Mary’s Street, city centre. Search far and wide, but you won’t find a better alterations and tailoring service. Their expert team of seamstresses and tailors offers fast, no-fuss service while you wait.

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