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.
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2024 
