Lockdown divided the nation into two categories: The outdoor explorers and the Netflix binge-watchers. And one local clothing brand is catering to both.
Lunar Thorn adventure apparel was launched in lockdown by Paige Rose – a Mancunian single mother who wanted to create eco-conscious adventure threads that doubled as loungewear.
Whilst Paige has been passionate about exploring for years, the first lockdown felt like the perfect time to get her concept off the ground – providing t-shirts and hoodies with wanderlust prints for people turning to nature for freedom.
“People started to explore the outdoors more, simply because they couldn’t do anything else,” says Paige.
“It was the release we all needed when confined to our homes.”
After becoming a new mum, Paige felt her entire life shift to focus on parenthood – and it changed her perspective on things.
“I was so focused on being the best mother I could be, I forgot what I liked to do,” she explains.
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“My entire purpose in life shifted to accommodate the bundle of joy that I’d made. And in that I felt that I lost some of my identity whilst also gaining a new one.”
As lockdown ebbed on, Paige found solace in nature and started using her daily hour of exercise to visit local parks and sights.
“The outdoors just has the most serene effect on a lost soul,” she mused.
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“It was exactly what I needed.”
Paige’s reignited passion for exploring led her to establish Lunar Thorn – which had been a dream of hers for years.
After lots of hard work, Manchester’s latest adventure apparel brand was officially launched – targeting a gap in the market for sustainable outdoor clothing that was comfortable enough for TV marathons.
“You can find adventure anywhere!” says Paige, encouraging everyone to get outside and experience the sights around them.
“Whether that be in the big city, a small town or even at home in your heart. It all starts with that spark and drive like it did for me.”
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Despite living on the outskirts of Manchester, Paige hasn’t let the city inhibit these experiences.
“Manchester has so many hidden gems – from the scenic routes along the canal to the bigger parks and even the country roads that link some of the towns.
“The possibilities of adventure in the borough are endless.”
Paige has always been fond of the outdoors – and some of her best childhood memories involve exploring.
“I grew up the eldest of 4 siblings on a council estate,” she says.
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“Although our mum worked hard for everything we had, we appreciated the smallest of things because we knew money was tight.
“The one thing we looked forward to wasn’t the material things but spending time with the family as a whole. Whether that be going to local parks, a walk down the canal or for a drive to the beach.”
Not only have these memories lasted a lifetime for Paige, but she is also keen to pass down these experiences to her son via Lunar Thorn.
The brand is also committed to giving back to the environment through its sustainable efforts – with products made entirely of organic or circulated cotton and produced in renewable plants/factories to minimise impact on the planet.
Lunar Thorn supports numerous charity events, too, including the One Tee 1kg campaign which helps to clear plastic waste from the ocean and the Buy One Get One Tree project, which co-operates with various tree planting organisations in Madagascar.
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It is these small acts of charity that are really making a difference.
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As for the future, Lunar Thorn is ambitious as ever. While the company will continue to create more products and collections, the main focus is to raise awareness for the brand and amazing causes it stands for.
“My final goal is creating something worth passing down to my son,” Paige states.
“And giving him the start in life I dreamed of when growing up!”
Their entire collection of adventure apparel is available to purchase on the Lunar Thorn website.
Style
Manchester City finally release special Year of the Horse collection for Lunar celebrations
Danny Jones
Manchester City have officially launched their new ‘Year of the Horse’ kit, along with several other items in their latest lifestyle range.
The collection, which has been released as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, was leaked online in late 2025 before being officially teased earlier this year, but now Man City have fully unveiled the limited edition clothing items.
It follows the commercial success of their previous Chinese New Year-inspired kits and wider fashion lines over the last few seasons.
For anyone not up to speed on their Zodiac calendar knowledge, 2026 is officially (you guessed it) the year of the horse, hence this choice for the new ‘Capsule Collection’.
“Set in earthy, neutral tones, the limited-edition Year of the Horse Capsule Collection captures both the stillness of vintage Chinese portraiture and the motion of a team in full stride.”
Revolving around a grey and almost beige colour palette, the full drop includes a new pre-match ‘Anthem’ jacket, a dark graphic design tee, a baseball cap, as well as a soft horse plushie.
The focal point, however, is obviously the jersey itself – though it remains to be confirmed whether or not the special seasonal strip will be worn in any games this campaign as other one-off/special limited edition shirts have been in the past.
The price points range from £15 for the soft toy to £90 for the adult shirt, with the aforementioned Puma KING Anthem zip-up jacket already available in six colours.
What do you make of the latest lifestyle collection, Blues?
Somewhat fittingly, the Year of the Horse and other items finally debuted on the same day that their local rivals across the other side of town, Manchester United, released some new threads of their own: the second Adidas x The Stone Roses collection.
As for this years Lunar celebrations, the official plans for here in Manchester city centre have now been revealed. You can find out more down below.
Manchester United officially launch second Adidas fashion collab with The Stone Roses
Danny Jones
After several weeks of teasers, the latest fashion collab between Adidas, Manchester United and The Stone Roses has officially revealed.
We have no doubt this one will be lapped up just as quickly as the first.
Following images of the new Stone Roses x Man United kit and the focal point of this new collection being leaked online earlier this month, the second drop by Adidas has now been unveiled in full.
Releasing another stylistic video to the tune of the legendary Manc band’s famous anthem, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, players both past and present from the men’s and women’s team star in the launch video.
As you can see, not only did the players get involved with the shoot as expected, but the clip also includes a snippet of archive footage featuring a young Ian Brown in a short but profound talking head.
The Stone Roses frontman, and indeed other members of the band, have never made their love of United a secret – none more so than the late, great Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield – and the supporters have also shared plenty of it back.
Be it through ‘This Is The One’ being chosen by Gary Neville as the official walk-out song at Old Trafford and various chants sung to Stone Roses tunes, to the previous collab back in February 2024, the two iconic cultural brands pretty much go hand in hand.
Besides the next multi-coloured paint-splashed shirt, which leaked first, as well as a new bucket hat (again, very era appropriate), there are scarves, a graphic design t-shirt, two sets of shorts and even two different pairs of shoes.
Images of the white Stone Roses trainers also popped up in leaks across various Man United fan accounts on social media, but few had seen the black ZX 600 Adidas trainers until now.
What do you make of the latest batch of lifestyle fashion from the club?
Meanwhile, with just days left in the transfer window, it remains to be seen whether new interim manager Michael Carrick will be rewarded for his first two wins against the top two in the league with any reinforcements before the end of January – but there are some rumblings…
Daisy Bradbury -
30th April 2021 
