The Yorkshire designers, brands, shows and style-setters who turned heads in 2025

We kicked off the year with a feature about Ukrainian fashion designer Yana Smaglo who fled the Russian invasion and came to Huddersfield, where she created distribution company Nenya to support her home country’s fashion designers and help them rebuild their lives. She appeared on BBC1’s Dragons’ Den in late January and won backing from Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett.

We also reported on Hollie Lesley Haughin, from Cleckheaton, whose eponymous fashion label specialises in wearable conceptual art. Hollie founded West Yorkshire Fashion Week and will host a screening of a documentary about it at Showcase Cinema de Lux Leeds on Sunday, January 25.

We also showcased the new collections from Leeds-based, multi-channel, international retailer Joe Browns, and every piece has a story behind it.

In February Tina Boden, who lives near Scarborough, shared her experience of being pageant queen Mrs North Yorkshire Galaxy UK and we featured Natalia Willmott, from near York, and some of her striking jewellery.

We also looked at Rydale Country Clothing, the Yorkshire brand establishing itself as a go-to for men and women’s casual country clothing.

The Costume Drama exhibition at Bankfield Museum near Halifax featured clothes worn in Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice, including the wet white shirt of Mr Darcy, aka Colin Firth.

In March, Fenwick, celebrating more than 40 years in York, treated us to a look through its archive, where we found a photo of a 1996 fashion show featuring Bernadette Gledhill, who is still modelling today (as well as running the Great Yorkshire Show catwalk).

Kevan Jon brought the wow factor with his stunning special occasion collections, and York Castle Museum celebrated the city’s heritage of fashion design and manufacture in an exhibition that included the legendary Angela Holmes of Droopy and Browns.

Zara Tindall became the face of Fairfax and Favor, which has stores in Helmsley and Bawtrey, and York wedding brand Rolling in Roses showcased its standout Juliet collection of dresses inspired by Shakespearean heroines.

April saw the launch of the new spring collections from Marks & Spencer, which was founded in Leeds in 1894, while we also checked out the personal shopping department at Harveys of Halifax to find out how they help mothers of the bride and wedding guests find perfect outfits.

We loved chatting with One Hundred Stars, founded 10 years ago in Sheffield, and worn by stars including Florence Pugh and the stars of Mamma Mia II. Its signature printed dresses and gowns are sold online and in department stores and boutiques.

In May we examined the heritage and current collection of Wakefield’s Double Two shirts, and celebrated the first ever George standalone store opening at Crown Point in Leeds. We also featured the launch of the Wearing Sustainability exhibition at the University of Leeds, with designers Cunnington and Sanderson.

In June, we celebrated 120 years of Bradford-based home shopping brand Freemans, and platformed a stunning student fashion catwalk show at Leeds Beckett University staged to launch Fashion Alliance North, challenging London-centric elitism in the industry.

Victoria Leeds Fashion Week took place with a spectacular catwalk show in the historic Victoria Quarter, and we previewed the Great Yorkshire Show with a fashion shoot with Rachel Coates, Christine Talbot and Bernadette Gledhill at the Showground.

There were queues galore as in July as beauty retailer Sephora opened its first Yorkshire store at Meadowhall Sheffield, and Leeds Arts University brought us a wealth of up-and-coming design talent at its graduate runway show.

We staged a special fashion shoot to preview the sale, at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn, of a remarkable 300-piece collection of Vivienne Westwood, gathered over decades by Susan Baker, who modelled some items.

In August, Burberry Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee picked up his honorary degree from the University of Bradford, and told us how growing up in the city, “surrounded by rich diversity, backgrounds, people, opinions, food and culture” had shaped him.

We celebrated the career of veteran, much-respected Yorkshire hairdresser Russell Eaton, who has salons in Barnsley and Leeds. He told us how, as a miner’s son in South Yorkshire, his choice of career initially raised eyebrows.

Victoria Thompson, owner of Ilkley tailors Norton and Townsend, modelled her beautiful bespoke suiting and coats in and around the town, and we celebrated a fabulous collaboration – something of a coup – between Skipton-based Joanie Clothing and Mad Men star Christina Hendricks, who modelled the collaborative 12-dress collection.

September saw the launch of new knitwear brand Salts Cashmere, inspired by David Hockney’s bold use of colour. We also showcased the autumn/winter collection of Heckmondwike-based outerwear brand TOG24, and went to the fantastic M&S autumn/winter fashion collections launch in London, to see how its fashion offer continues to get better and better (everyone is saying it).

A new exhibition at the Bowes Museum shows us how the dawn of the railway brought holidays and fashion into the lives of ordinary folk, and our AW25 round-up gathered favourite trends from John Lewis, Barbour and more.

We also admired the Traitors style of Claudia Winkleman and previewed a brilliant debut catwalk show at Halifax Minster to launch Up North Runway, an initiative by broadcaster Liz Green to platform northern designers and brands.

Rebecca Rhoades launched her new fashion label RHOEN, and we showcased Barbour’s most recent collabs with Paul Smith, Arket, and Yorkshire mill Moons.

In November, we loved the AW25 cord co-ords and festive jumpers from North Yorkshire-based Kit & Kaboodal, and we visited tailors Carl Stuart, which makes beautiful bespoke suits and more in Ossett.

We also presented our lovely Christmas fashion shoot with Victoria Leeds shopping centre to mark the launch of its Christmas Storybook, and found out what some of our favourite Yorkshire fashion people were wearing and buying for Christmas 2025.