Fashion News

With Christmas fast approaching, men across the UK are set to receive their annual present of novelty boxers, however research released today by Bullring shows that 13% of Birmingham men confess to returning underwear bought for them and 1 in 3 leave them in the wardrobe unworn to gather dust. The reason for this negative reception appears to be family and friends buying the men in their lives the wrong style of underwear, with findings showing that boxer briefs are the most popular pants style, whereas the risqué thong is a favourite for the brave few.

A leading West Midlands designer of wedding shoes is hoping to expand her brand across North America and beyond when she attends a major bridal fair in New York next month. Rachel Simpson, of Rachel Simpson Ltd, is heading to the trade show, as part of International Bridal Week (8-10 October), thanks to support from the Department for International Trade team in Birmingham.

Wolverhampton based Vaal & Vaal and Birmingham based Barberology had both been short-listed in the category of Barbershop of the Year, at this year’s Barber Awards. The barbershops are two of only three establishments from across the country to be shortlisted for the honour, marking a turning point for gents grooming and style in the West Midlands. The award recognises institutions that have performed exceptionally well in 2016 and those that have pushed the boundaries in male grooming and customer services.

This weekend, eBay premiered a hilarious series of shows in the Bullring Birmingham, entitled Shop Live! with eBay. Taking place centre stage in the city’s shopping destination, the series of live performances took place on yesterday, Saturday 14^th and will continue today, Sunday 15^th May. In a tongue-in-cheek homage to home shopping television programmes, Shop Live! will consist of two interactive performances; each allowing the audience to take advantage of deals straight from the convenience of their mobiles, whilst they watch.

Now celebrating its 21^st year, eBay has unveiled the spending habits of Birmingham residents with new shopping data launched this week. With sales of handbags and lycra soaring, the latest data from the online marketplace shows that fitness is having a major moment in fashion. Shoe and bag mad Brummies will always step out in style, with a whopping 97,400 shoes and handbags sold every year, whilst activewear purchases are also on the up, as we hurtle towards summer dressing.  

Pantomime football villain turned respected TV pundit Robbie Savage has always been able to successfully marry traditional masculine norms with more fashion-conscious sensibilities – epitomised by his no-nonsense playing style on the pitch alongside a staunch dedication to personal grooming. Today, however, he brought these two traits together in the most astounding of ways yet: by being sprayed from head-to-toe in gold as he opened the John Smith’s Golden Tanning Pub.

The official Mr. & Miss Nigeria UK Annual Cultural Beauty Pageant is BACK and ready to take over London later this year. The extravagant Pageant aimed to empower and enrich the Nigerian culture within the UK, is on the hunt again to find their new King and Queen.

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell have been photographed by Mario Testino to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer in the UK, as the campaign launched this week. Since the two supermodels helped to launch the iconic campaign in 1996, Fashion Targets Breast Cancer has raised £14 million for Breast Cancer Now’s vital research. The stunning 2016 images unveiled across UK billboards today see Testino re-invent Moss and Campbell’s original bold and beautiful poses, 20 years on.

New research has revealed that Helen Mirren is Birmingham’ beauty queen of choice. The Duchess of Cambridge was a close second with Joanna Lumley coming in third. The research was conducted in honour of London Fashion Week when less likely fashion icons were seen sporting fashionable pink nails.

Staff and supporters from Birmingham St Mary's Hospice took to the catwalk in the name of fundraising as the Hospice hosted its first ever charity fashion show in their Dorridge Boutique store on Thursday 18th February to raise awareness of its high end charity shops and the hospice care it provides. Through sales, and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses, around £500 of vital funds were raised on the night.

The Fashion Museum, Bath, will unveil a major new exhibition called 'A History of Fashion in 100 Objects' on March 19, 2016. Celebrating fashion throughout history, from the 1500s to the present day, this headline exhibit will showcase 100 star objects drawn from the Fashion Museum's world-class collection.

Taking the world by storm, 23 year old super model Kiran Rai has become the face of American brand Future Cut Cloths which is based in Chicago and Nottinghamshire.  He has become the first Asian face for the brand since 1992 of there launch and currently will be launching their new collection at Birmingham NEC on the 21st February 2016.  He has proven to the world that most people aged 23 years will be working in university or working at a supermarket, but that doesn’t count for Kiran.

Madame Tussauds London has created an immersive 'behind-the-scenes' fashion experience opening on Monday February 8, in the run up to London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016. Central to the immersive attraction will be new wax figures of the inimitable fun-loving model and actress, Cara Delevingne, with her trademark bushy eyebrows, and catwalk sensation and star of Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kendall Jenner – together known to their millions of fans as BFFs 'CaKe'.

Jaden Smith has been announced as the face of the Series 4, the spring-summer 2016 collection advertising campaign from Louis Vuitton, which continues the visual dialogue between several artists of imagery, started with Series 1. The heroine shot by Bruce Weber, known for his images that capture youth’s vitality, is truly multi-facetted.

Who will be the next Caribbean Queen? That’s the big question that will be answered at the Grand Finale of the Miss Caribbean UK Beauty Pageant on Saturday 5th December at the prestigious Shaw Theatre on the Euston Road. The pageant is about much more than physical beauty, it was launched last year to showcase and promote the Caribbean countries under one umbrella.

Research commissioned by the new video social network, eva, reveals that men with longer facial hair are more likely to have been in a fight, have cheated on their partner and to have stolen something. What’s more, the sex-appeal of designer stubble could also be waning, with women voting that a clean shave and a strong jawline is far more attractive than a piece of unruly face furniture.