DEDICATED followers of fashion are urged to head to Darlington this weekend as the town stages its first ever outdoor catwalk show.
On Saturday (23 April) the town’s Grange Road will compete with fashion capitals such as Milan, London and Paris, as models take to a 14m runway to showcase this summer’s must-have looks in a series of shows.
The event, organised by BID company Distinct Darlington is designed to highlight the town’s independent and high street clothing retailers, with shows, each lasting 15 minutes, taking place every hour.
National names such as Binns – House of Fraser, M&S and shoe retailer Moda in Pelle, will be among those displaying their latest collections, alongside independent Darlington stores, such as Leggs, Geoffrey Gillow, Chestnut and Elan.
The first show will take place at 10.30am with occasion wear, followed by smart casual, swimwear and summer essentials, every day wear and a further smart casual show, ending with a prom and wedding finalé at 3.30pm.
Joining the professional models will be Stockton single mum, Kaye Pickering, 39, who saw off competition from more than sixty hopefuls across the region to be named ‘the face of Darlington,’ in an on-line competition earlier this month.
Throughout the day, food and drink samples from town centre businesses will be handed out between each show and Distinct Darlington manager, Alex Hirst, said: “The support we’ve had for this event, from retailers and the public alike, has been brilliant.
“Even non-fashion retailers have supported us by offering fantastic freebies for our goody bags.
“Now it’s just days away, the atmosphere among retailers, shoppers and residents is just amazing and it promises to be a fantastic day.
“Darlington has long been a best kept secret among clothes lovers – but now the secret will be out and everyone will be able to see for themselves why we’re on track to become the fashion capital of the North East.”
Grange Road will be closed from 12pm on Friday 22 April through to Saturday evening and vehicle access will be restricted from 12pm on Friday.
Vehicles that park prior to 12pm will still be able to park for up to three hours as building of the catwalk will not start until all cars are cleared. Alternative car parking can be found at the new Feethams multi-storey at Beaumont Street.
For more information please visit www.distinctdarlington.co.uk .