Two women from the Black Country, in the West Midlands, arranged a catwalk fashion show at the Station Hotel, Dudley raising over £500 for Parkinson’s UK and Dementia UK.

Karen Wilcox from Lower Gornal and Alexandra Darby from Rowley Regis organised the event, showcasing a selection of well-known local designers and catwalk models along with tribute singers and a fantastic drag queen act in September.

Karen, who is a professional model and Young European Ms International Finalist and Alex, who was Miss Black Country have both raised thousands of pounds over the years for various charities, but decided to organise this special event as Karen’s dad, Alan, is living with Parkinson’s and dementia.

Karen said: “I wanted to raise money and awareness for both charities and I have also joined Parkinson’s UK as a Network Campaigner to promote awareness in the local area”.

Alex, who also sang at the event said: “They are both charities that I am very passionate about and I am over the moon that we managed to raise over £500. We had a fantastic day and so much fun was had by all”.

Gayle Kelly, Regional Fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK Birmingham and the Black Country attended the event and gave a short talk about the charity.  She said: “It was such a well organised and fun event. Karen and Alex did a brilliant job and we are so incredibly grateful to them and everyone who attended and supported the day.”

Parkinson’s UK is the leading charity driving better care, treatments and quality of life for those with the condition. Its mission is to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson's through cutting edge research, information, support and campaigning.

Whether you’re an activewear advocate, hot for hipster threads or a designer diva, the average Brit spends £572 a year to fit in with their fashion tribe, equating to a staggering £16.2 billion nationwide, according to new research from VoucherCodes.co.uk.

Choosing a tribe

The study found that more than four in ten Brits (43 per cent) identify with a fashion tribe in the UK. Of those that belong to a ‘clothing cult,’ the majority see themselves as ‘High-street Hoarders,’ with 41 per cent regularly shopping for affordable high street fashion from the current season, while one quarter of Brits describe their signature style as ‘Classic and Preppy’ and 12 per cent identify with the ‘90’s Grunge’ look which has recently come back into fashion. Conversely, over half of individual Brits (57 per cent), claim they don’t have a signature style.

Brits fork out an average of £48 per month on buying clothing, shoes and accessories that relate to their chosen fashion cults, amounting to a substantial £572 per year. While ‘Designer Divas’ are prepared to spend the most on buying branded garments to complement their look (£164 per month), interestingly, fans of activewear are prepared to splurge significantly more than those who prefer high street clobber (£66 versus £41 per month), perhaps as a result of the rising popularity of fitness YouTubers and Instagrammers which has prompted a surge in people choosing to wear luxury leggings and gym gear day-to-day.

Signature Style

The study of over 2,000 UK adults, undertaken in conjunction with You Gov, found that most Brits are keen to stay safe when it comes to their signature style; nearly one third (32 per cent) admit they stick to just one timeless look throughout their lives, whereas 3.9 million fashion-focused Brits (six per cent) feel obliged to refresh their wardrobe every season. Many also admitted to changing their look depending on what day it is, with one in five (20 per cent) confessing they sport alternative looks on the weekend.

Fashion Icons

When it comes to influencing Brits’ signature style, nearly one fifth (18 per cent) say their friends inspire them to identify with a particular clothing cult, while 17 per cent admit their style is defined by the city they live in or plan to move to.

Nearly one in ten (7 per cent) of the UK take inspiration from browsing through their favourite fashion magazines and social media is also starting to have an impact on the clothes we wear, with six per cent of Brits looking to bloggers and Instagrammers for fashion pointers. Surprisingly though, half of the nation (50 per cent) have no idea what inspires their signature look, claiming that they can’t pinpoint what makes them dress the way they do.

Clothing Cult Counties

Wales was revealed to be the high-street hoarder hotspot of the UK, with over half of Welsh residents (54 per cent) identifying with fast, affordable fashion. Meanwhile, Yorkshire was found to be the Hipster capital, with 16 per cent of shoppers in the region admitting the trend best described their signature style, while those in the West Midlands are most likely to be seen in a pair of cut-out leggings, with more activewear fans than anywhere else in the UK (18 per cent).

The study also revealed that those from the North-East are the biggest fashion spenders, forking out more than the rest of the UK on their chosen style at £63 per month, while Yorkshire was found to be the least materialistic, setting aside an average of just £35 per month on conforming to their chosen fashion tribe.

London fashionistas were in shock as they discovered the trendy threads of one showgoer’s came straight from the aisles of Poundland.

The discount retailer’s fashion brand partnered with professional prankster, Zac Alsop to get PEP&CO seen by the most influential names in fashion – and it was all caught on camera.

The fashionable fella was decked out in Britain’s fastest growing fashion brand, PEP&CO, from the brand’s SS18 collection, and was strutting his stuff through London Fashion Week shows and events turning heads as he went.

Over the week, Zac infiltrated the Toga show, BFC Showspace, Designer Showspace and the highly anticipated Burberry Show, kitted out in top to toe PEP&CO.

Here he rubbed shoulders with fashionistas and chalked up compliments for his outfit which featured items such as a £2 all cotton T-shirt, £9 jeans and £9 trainers.

Whilst at the show, Zac also managed to fulfil the dream of every fashion up -and-comer by going backstage, walking the catwalk and partying with the most stylish people in the UK.

Everyone was keen to know who Zac was wearing with people complimenting the material, detail and acknowledging that PEP&CO really is the next big thing!

They may be tiny shoes to fill but family footwear retailer Charles Clinkard is looking for the UK’s next top model to showcase its range of first shoes.

It may be baby steps to a full time career on the catwalk but new parents are invited to put their children’s terrific tootsies forward to feature in the company’s marketing campaign.

The award-winning North East-based company is launching a nationwide campaign to find a tiny tot aged between ten months and 18 months.

All parents or carers have to do is send in a fun snap showing how much their children love their first shoes – it can be anything from trying them on to putting them under the pillow at night.

Managing Director Charles Clinkard said: “First shoes are probably the most important ones you’ll ever have in your life – the start of a lifetime journey,

“We’ve been providing children with their first shoes for generations, and there are many people who will remember having their feet measured at Charles Clinkard as they grew up.

“So as we prepare to launch our new first shoe experience, we thought it would be lovely to see one of our very own customers as the face - or should I say feet - of our campaign.”