Stoppard, L., Hindle, K., Smith, H., Green, A., Kenny, M., 2016.

North

North is an online project produced in collaboration with SHOWstudio launched in July 2015. Motivated by questioning existing depictions of the North of England in fashion imagery, SHOWstudio editor Lou Stoppard and Manchester-based academic Adam Murray united to unpick Northern identity, the effect of geographic space on creative output and the importance of place.

Working at the forefront of research into contemporary fashion, Murray and Stoppard, intended to simultaneously explore the subject as well as devising different methods of communicating the findings of this research with an international audience. The resulted in a multimedia outcome consisting of films, essays and new visual work.

Seven original interviews were carried out with leading fashion figures including Gareth Pugh, Stephen Jones and Christopher Shannon. Audio footage was then combined with original visual content generated using Google Streetview and archive footage that enabled an international audience to explore the locations discussed in each interview. Five original essays were commissioned by academics in the fields of politics, history, gender, photography and fashion. Four leading industry professionals each set a brief for under graduate students to respond to with original visual work.

All content was published on pioneering fashion website SHOWstudio where it is offered as free to view for audiences internationally. Impact of this initial project can be seen in the exhibitions consequently commissioned by Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool and Somerset House, London. The project has directly informed teaching in a number of HE institutions such as Liverpool John Moores, Manchester School of Art, Leeds College of Art and Falmouth University. Since the project launched there has a been a tangible increase in discussion about the role the North of England has in contemporary fashion.