Hello everyone, and welcome back to this week's article for the Northern Design Festival. We’re keeping our theme of Northern cities, but moving west from Leeds and east from Liverpool. Everyone’s favourite London of the North: Manchester!
I could write you a dissertation length recap of design hotspots in Manchester, but today I’m going for more of a beginners guide. You have 24 hours and want to make the most of it? Dear reader, please continue.
Northern Quarter: Manchester's Heartbeat
You’re probably already very aware of Manchester's Northern Quarter, but just in case, let’s give a run down. Northern Quarter is the perfect place for day drinking, night drinking, tattoos, street art, piercings, independent business, and an overall buzz of creativity.
Top spots? Afflecks. Afflecks is home to anything and everything. The biggest feat of design might be its use of space, there is a shop for everyone in here. Filled to the brim with independent vintage clothes, home and interior products, food, and health and well being, the community that Afflecks has created is undeniable and a perfect place to let your creativity flow.
Other perfect spots include Oxfam Originals, showcasing vintage fashion, exemplifying the never-ending life of design. Independent places like Lost Cat have individual interior design and events for both the day and night, Sicilian NQ offers traditional family filled Sicillian dishes, as well as gift boxes for people to take away. Oh, and did I mention the street art?
But there’s more to be discovered, Fred Aldous Ltd is a family-owned craft shop, Esea Contemporary promotes contemporary eastern and south eastern Asian art, and Egoïste Gallery which is based in our previously mentioned Afflecks. Long story short, creativity is alive in the Northern Quarter.
Ancoats: Home of Design and Culture
Ancoats is a hop, skip, and a jump from Northern Quarter, but no less impressive. Ancoats hosts Ancoats studio, the perfect location for many events, photoshoots, and pop ups, there’s also Cork and Canvas, a perfect beginner friendly painting experience for a day out, birthdays, or any other event you can think of!
A highlight of Ancoats has to be Ancoats Visual Arts, AVA. A volunteer-led community fostering creative wellbeing for local residents of Ancoats, as well as Awol studios, who also offer a creative hub for beginners and intermediate artists alike.
Spinningfields: Financial Design?
If you’re familiar with Manchester, you may be wondering what the financial district has to offer. However, over the years, Spinningfields has become a creative space for design, fashion, and culture in this northern city. Spinningfields hosts plenty of design driven events and exhibitions throughout the year, including Manchester International Festival, and pop ups such as the recent Harmony showcasing work by Luke Saxon, and the upcoming Manchester Jazz festival.
Speaking of MIF, it would be a crime to not mention Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, hosting plenty of design, creative, poetry, and endless other events. Including the recent GF Smith rebranding launch- which we were lucky to attend. The space is perfect for creatives, and the free tote bag at the end never hurts! Other studios like Smolensky Art Gallery, and Saul Hay Gallery offer further creative insight to our beautiful location.
The actual area of Spinningfields itself is one to experience. The sleek modern architecture and commitment to sustainability make it a perfect representation of why so many outdoor pop-ups flood this area.
So could you do it all in 24 hours? Probably. Would that be the best way to explore these creative hotspots? Absolutely not. What I’ve run through barely scratches the surface of design and creativity amongst Manchester districts. Each of these areas has plenty more to offer than these highlights, so I hope this has been convincing enough to book those train tickets and explore these areas. For now, that's the Northern Design Team over and out, but don’t fear, we’re back next Monday!
