Harvey Nichols, Manchester and The University of Salford MA & BA (hons) Fashion Design courses are pleased to announce the launch of a new collaboration this September

Harvey Nichols, Manchester and The University of Salford MA & BA (hons) Fashion Design courses are pleased to announce the launch of a new collaboration coming this September.

UOS x Harvey Nichols (Made in Salford) is a new venture between the luxury retailer and the university’s internationally recognised fashion design course, bringing a capsule collection of graduate outcomes to the retail floor for the first time.

Fashion Design at the University of Salford provides students with the opportunity to think about their practice within a framework of contemporary cultures and simultaneously gives them the design and technical skills to produce work to the highest standard, ready for key jobs in the industry. The alumni work across all levels of the industry in a variety of roles.

“We are delighted to work with Harvey Nichols, Manchester. This collaboration provides our graduates with a rare opportunity to showcase and sell their work directly to consumers. Furthermore, we are extremely grateful to Harvey Nichols for their trust and conviction in supporting our students and our programme.” Bashir Aswat, Programme Leader Fashion Design

From 28th September, over 30 graduates will present more than 150 one-off garments to be displayed and retailed within the Harvey Nichols Manchester store, within a specially curated space on the menswear and ladieswear fashion floors.

This is a unique opportunity for fashion design graduates, able to showcase their exceptional work beyond the catwalk and place them into a bricks and mortar store. Traditionally students’ collections are rarely sold and are simply seen as a statement of their creativity and hard work. This opportunity is a strong reflection of Harvey Nichols’ support, investing in the future talent of an entire graduating year group, with the revenue generated from the sale of the garments being retained by the University of Salford and the student designers themselves.

As a cohort they have already presented work at New York Fashion Week in 2020 and at a pop-up exhibition in Milan (2019) but this collaboration brings them home to where they have spent the past three years honing their craft and identities as designers.

Gavin Hudson, Store Retail Operations Manager at Harvey Nichols, Manchester says: “We are really excited to collaborate with the University of Salford on this very special project and to be showcasing this unique collection of one-off pieces in Manchester, where the garments themselves have been designed and created. We are very proud to support emerging fashion talent and are delighted to be able to offer a platform on which new graduate designers can showcase their creativity”.

The ‘Made in Salford’ brand is a statement to having a sustainable practice, each piece being a unique garment produced less than 2 miles of where it will finally be sold. Customers can expect an array of different garments suited to all situations, styles and genders, all in the knowledge no one else will own it.

The two specially curated spaces will be installed on the menswear and ladieswear fashion floors of the luxury retailer from 28th September, for a limited time.