UP-AND-COMING designers will rub shoulders with the established elite when they present their collections on the catwalk four times a day at the popular daily fashion shows.

Luxury lingerie and swimwear retailer Rigby and Peller, which opened its first north of England store in Harrogate earlier in the year, and internationallyacclaimed country-wear specialist Barbour, which has teamed up with Boroughbridge-based artist Julie Dodsworth, will make their Great Yorkshire debuts.

And Cleckheaton-based fashion wholesaler Alexia Designs, renowned for its stunning occasion-wear clothing, will also be there for the first time.

Bill Cowling, honorary show director, said: “The fashion shows are always one of the highlights of the Great Yorkshire and, apart from being an important part of the event, they enable us to highlight the importance of the textile industry and its links within the region.

“The catwalk shows enable visitors to see the full cycle of production, from the sheep in the competitive classes, to the sheep-shearing and wool production competitions, to the final designs on the runway.”

Held in the Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion, the event is not only about well-known high street names, as up-and-coming designers from fashion colleges across the region also present their collections.

Students from Harrogate College of Art and Design and Northallerton College will unveil stunning, one-off pieces, while collections from students at Hull College of Art and Design and Doncaster College will also grace the catwalk.

Brook Taverner, the Keighley-based menswear brand, will return to showcase its current collection and unveil its new autumn/winter collection, featuring Moons fabric woven in Yorkshire, while high street retailer Hobbs also makes a welcome return to the catwalk.

The shows are produced by Morton Gledhill – The Fashion Team, hair and make-up is courtesy of Bradford College.