One of Manchester’s most-visited museums is celebrating sustainable fashion with an ‘after-hours’ event especially for adults.
Fashion, sustainability, heritage, and self-expression is all set to come together for a unique event down the Science and Industry Museum in the heart of Manchester next week, and it’s an adults-only occasion too, so if you’re looking for an excuse to leave the little Mancs at home, then this might be just what you’re looking for.
Taking place on Thursday 21 March from 6:30pm right through to 9:30pm, the beloved city centre museum is encouraging visitors to “journey through the past, present, and future of fashion” during an exclusive evening of entertainment.
Named After hours: Forward-Thinking Fashion, the event will showcase sustainable self-expression, offer nifty thrifting tips, and even unpick Manchester’s unique fashion history, all before shining a spotlight on the highlight of the night – a colourful cabaret catwalk.
Strike a pose 📸
We've collaborated with @solaflair_ for After Hours: Forward-Thinking Fashion. Get ready for an energising evening of live performance, pop-up markets and dynamic demonstrations
— Science and Industry Museum (@sim_manchester) March 12, 2024
The museum has joined forces with Manchester-based women-led theatre company, So La Flair, for the event, and will be hosting a so-called haberdashery of live performances and demonstrations, pop-up clothes stalls, and after-hours exploration.
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It’s all with the aim of encouraging a greener future for the world of fashion.
The showstopper of the evening will be The Fabric of Us – a sustainable fashion show by So La Flair, curated and styled by fashion-forward thrift brand, Beg Steal & Borrow, that celebrates Manchester’s unique style and features performances from Night People.
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Science and Industry Museum is celebrating sustainable fashion with an ‘after-hours’ event for adults / Credit: Science Museum Group
The hour-long show catwalk happening from 8pm-9pm will weave together catwalk performances, storytelling, archival footage, and dance to showcase planet-friendly self-expression and “a future where looking good doesn’t cost the planet, people, or pockets”, all before culminating in a high-energy cabaret catwalk performance that “celebrates the expression of individuality” through what we wear and how we wear it.
Visitors are told to expect fierce walks, dynamic dance numbers, and an array of exciting pieces from designers that specialise in upcycling, thrifting, and accessible apparel.
Beg Steal & Borrow will also be hosting a pop-up fashion market on the night too, and will be offering a range of planet-friendly garments and slow-fashion favourites.
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Tickets to the forward-thinking fashion event are on sale for £10 each now / Credit: Science Museum Group
As well as all the exclusive events, the museum’s Textiles Gallery will also be open on the night.
This means visitors will have the chance to “follow the thread of Manchester’s textiles history” and experience the sights and sounds of its former industrial mills for themselves during a thunderous demonstration of the historic machinery in action.
After hours: Forward-Thinking Fashion will take place on Thursday 21 March from 6:30pm – 9:30pm at the Science and Industry Museum – with tickets on sale now and setting you back just £10 each, or £8 for concessions.
Manchester’s iconic Rylands building is being reborn – and the developers want to hear from you
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s iconic Rylands building, formerly home to the Debenhams department store, is being reborn.
And now the developers working on its new chapter want Mancunians to weigh in on which businesses we want to see in the landmark building.
The transformation of Rylands Manchester will honour the heritage character of the building, which dates back to 1932, but will introduce contemporary design and a list of residents that’s bang up to date for our modern city centre.
The plans include building a four-storey extension with panoramic city views and a bright, central atrium. When it completes, this Grade II-listed art deco building will bring together workspace, retail, and leisure, right at the beating heart of town between the Northern Quarter, Piccadilly, Manchester Arndale, and the central business district.
Standing proudly at the top of Market Street, this next era for Rylands will establish it as an exciting new destination in the heart of town when its phased completion begins from late 2026.
Already confirmed to be moving in is Market Place Food Hall with its first northern location, which has signed on for a 15 year lease to occupy the ground floor of Rylands.
Market Place Food Hall is already confirmed to be moving into RylandsRylands is entering a new era
But now Rylands are putting it back to locals to ask what shops, restaurants, or cafes we’d love to see moving in.
It could be a high street hero you’ve loved for years, an independent business you’ve fallen for, or a foodie spot you return to time and time again.
Your ideas could help to shape the future of this landmark building and make it a destination us Mancs can be proud of.
And if you submit your suggestions in the comments of THIS Instagram post, you could be in with a chance of winning a £100 Love2Shop voucher (make sure you’re following @Rylands_manchester for a chance to win).
Science and Industry Museum announces new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’
Emily Sergeant
A major new exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ is making its world premiere in Manchester next year.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum next February.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extra-terrestrial life that could be staring back.
Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake, or launching a space rocket, organisers say this new adventure will engage all the senses in a truly immersive experience.
This is the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition.
The Science and Industry Museum has announced a new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ / Credit: BBC | Science Museum Group
Visitors will get to see familiar characters from the BBC series – like Dr Big Brain, in particular – on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges, and sensory exploration.
The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with producers of the Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, together with Scholastic, who are publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
‘Unmissable’ objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection will also be on show when the exhibition premieres.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before heading down to London, and tickets are now on sale priced at £10 – with family discounts available, and under-threes going free.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2024 
