Yorkshire's talented young designers are set to hit the catwalk with cutting edge styles of their own Photographs by Dan Oxtoby

Exclusive fashion collections are being created for the catwalk at the Great Yorkshire Show. The Fashion Pavilion will showcase work from fashion houses and young designers from around the county including the work of North Yorkshire milliner Suzanne Gill, whose bespoke head piece won Best Hat award at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Suzanne, who is based in Ampleforth, will present a collection of 20 hats that draw inspiration from the dramatic Yorkshire coastline as well as chic vintage of Paris. ‘I feel absolutely thrilled to be taking part this year,’ she said.

‘The fashion shows are a great way of promoting the wealth of Yorkshire design talent.’

Fashion designer Hardy Punglia, a former personal shopper at Harvey Nichols in Leeds, is also making his debut at the show, with a new collection of clothes created especially for the countryside event. Using as many Yorkshire-based suppliers as possible, Hardy creates contemporary clothes with a twist for his own fashion house The Left Bank, based in Huddersfield.

After opening his business four years ago with just five garments on the rails, Hardy has built a reputation across the region for his fashion collections and is happy to be showcasing his designs at the Great Yorkshire Show. ‘I am very proud to be from Yorkshire, so, for my clothes to appear on the catwalk at England’s premier agricultural event is a complete honour for me,’ he said.

Collections from final-year fashion students at Northallerton College and Doncaster College are also taking their place on the catwalk. They feature innovative shapes and styles including a unique outfit created with peacock feathers.

Harvey’s of Halifax, a long-established family-run department store, will be dressing models in Joules and Laura Ashley collections, and Keighley-based Brook Taverner is providing the menswear for the fashion shows. Staff and students at Bradford College are in charge of hair and make-up. Models are from the Huddersfield-based Morton Gledhill Fashion Team.

And making its debut at an agricultural show and marking its 30th birthday, is womanswear store Hobbs. Visitors will have a sneak preview of their 2011 autumn/winter range which will be featured on the catwalk, and the exclusive Great Yorkshire Show scarf, designed by Hobbs, will also be launched at the show.

Radio and television celebrities Adam Tomlinson and Claire Montgomery are hosting the fashion shows as well as the finals of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s Country Catwalk Stars competition. The winners of the contest to find the faces of the 2011 Great Yorkshire Show will be announced on the opening day of the show.

www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk