A two-day sustainable fashion event is coming to Manchester shopping complex the Trafford Centre this month,
The leading shopping and leisure destination will champion circular fashion, environmentally conscious fashion and new season trends with a selection of pre-loved fashion sales, ticketed live expert talks and spectacular fashion shows.
Aiming to inspire shoppers to reinvent their wardrobe whilst championing brands that are taking more steps to adopt greener practices, Trafford Centre will come alive with spectacular fashion shows and dance fusion performances whilst showcasing key A/W trends from the centre’s vast array of fashion retailers.
The public can also expect pre-loved fashion sales from We Are Second Life, whilst ticketed live expert talks will be hosted in-store by Selfridges. Meanwhile, styling sessions will be hosted by John Lewis, with support from charity partner, Smart Works, championing sustainable initiatives.
Zoe Inman, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting a 2-day fashion extravaganza at Trafford Centre; an opportunity to showcase the incredible range of fashion brands on offer, whilst highlighting brands that are championing sustainable initiatives.
“The centre will come alive with fantastic entertainment, inspiring shows, and informative talks, whilst also giving the public the opportunity to purchase pre-loved items – we are looking forward to delivering another huge-scale event that continues to escape the ordinary.”
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Across the two days, specially-choreographed fashion shows will take place in The Main Dome, championing the themes of re-wearing and restyling whilst also showcasing the latest A/W trends.
A team of eight young dancers from troop Dance Fusion will also be on hand performing a high-energy routine to entertain shoppers alongside the diverse fashion shows.
Elsewhere, Selfridges will host X3 ‘in conversation with’ live talks focused on its Materials, Models and Mindsets pillars as part of the wider ‘refashioned’ event.
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And Smart Works, a UK female employment charity that dresses and coaches women for interviews and job success, will partner with John Lewis to offer styling sessions in the department store’s dedicated styling lounge.
Tickets for the Smart Works styling are priced at £10 per person. As part of the experience, customers will be treated to a glass of prosecco on arrival, a John Lewis goodie bag and an interactive session of styling from both Smart Works Greater Manchester and John Lewis, with all funds going to support the Smart Works Greater Manchester charity.
Smart Works Head of Wardrobe Trustee, Kay Barratt said: “We use fashion as a force for good, with our dressing room stocked with pre-loved and new clothing to dress women in preparation for their interviews.
“Shopping your wardrobe, learning how to take pieces from one season to the next and mixing pre-loved and vintage has never been more in fashion. We look forward to sharing styling tips and tricks at Trafford Centre’s refashioned event that will not only save the planet, but also your pocket too.”
Rob Lorrimer, Event Manager at we are second life fashion said: “What could be better than great fashion at small prices, all in the effort to help save our planet.
“We are delighted to partner with Trafford Centre on its refashioned event.”
The two-day sustainable fashion event will take place on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October at the Trafford Centre. See the full schedule below.
REFASHIONED EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday 30 September
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Fashion Show and Dance Performance: [2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm] The Main Dome
We are second life sale: The Orient
Smart Works X John Lewis Styling Sessions: [11:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00] John Lewis Styling Studio
Selfridges live talks: Selfridges store
SELFRIDGES LIVE TALKS
12:00 PM – 13:00 PM – ‘REFILL’:
The importance of sustainable beauty.
Hosted by L’Oréal Blackett & guest speaker.
16:00 PM – 17:00 PM – ‘REPAIR & RESELL’:
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Instead of buying new, what else can we do?
Hosted by L’Oréal Blackett & guest speaker from CEO of Sneaker ER Alan.
18:30 PM – 19:30 PM – ‘REDUCE’:
Investment pieces for a more sustainable wardrobe.
Hosted by L’Oréal Blackett & guest speaker Sophia Rosemary
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Saturday 1 October
Fashion Show and Dance Performance: [11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm] The Main Dome
We are second life sale: The Orient
Fashion brands on offer at Trafford Centre include luxury and high street favourites from Selfridges, John Lewis, Levi’s, H&M, North Face, Havaianas and many more.
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
“It is dangerous for fatigued workers to be driving trams and they should not be put in this situation.
“We are demanding that Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester work with Unite to find a solution to this problem to avoid industrial action.”
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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A local Manc content creator is looking to set a world record by running around Old Trafford
Danny Jones
A local content creator, who specialises in running/hiking content (and sandwiches), is looking to raise money and potentially set a world record by jogging around Old Trafford.
Oh, and by jogging, we mean running – for a really, REALLY long time…
If you’ve never come across his channel before, let us introduce you to local influencer and videographer Sam Matthew, a.k.a. ‘Peaks and Pubs‘.
Boasting plenty of fans on both Instagram and TikTok within the world of trail running, the outdoors community and beyond, he’s set to toastreaching a very specific achievement by “turning a milestone into a mission” and doing laps around Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.
As explained in the video, he’s now surpassed 74,310 followers, i.e. the same capacity of supporters you can fit inside the Theatre of Dreams itself.
We know, it’s distance running and feats of endurance aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they are a great way of raising money and awareness, not to mention possibly getting yourself in the official Guinness Book of World Records.
Explaining the challenge in the caption of the video, Sam writes: “There’s now enough of you lot following this daft account of mine on here to fill a stadium I’ve adored since I was a little boy. And that genuinely means so much to me.
“So why not celebrate the occasion by punishing my legs and raising money for good causes along the way? Donations are, of course, the aim, but I understand that not everybody is in the position to do that, so any engagement on this post is hugely appreciated.
“I mean it from the bottom of my heart that you lot genuinely make this all happen for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to do silly stuff like this on a random Wednesday [29 October]. Giving off pure ‘your unemployed friend on a Wednesday’ vibes, but I love it!”
Raising money for the club’s in-house Manchester United Foundation, which has already shown its support for the upcoming ultra-marathon distance event, they are also looking to generate crucial funds with the return of another annual charity event too.
The Foundation does some incredible work all year-round, if you’d rather swap running around Old Trafford for sleeping.
Once again, Sam will be kicking off the serious step-count from approximately 9am this Wednesday (28 Oct), he’s estimating it’ll take him around a whopping nine and a half hours, “with plenty of breaks for food and fluids”, thank god.
As the man behind most of the Bada Bing videos, we expect plenty of butties to fuel the running.
Furthermore, although he’s set to take on the distance solo for the morning, he’s invited as many people who fancy getting involved to come and join him for a lap or two from 12 noon onwards; hopefully, he’ll see the Guinness people popping along to see if he registers a world record while he’s at it, too.
We hope there are a few pints at the pub waiting for you at the end, as always, Sam.
The Manc -
21st September 2022 
