An East Lancashire fashion designer has taken London by storm with her collection inspired by the rainy weather of the North West, showcased at fashion week.

Hailea Crichton, from Accrington, and co-founder Gabrielle Pritchard launched their ethical fashion brand Deidei in 2021 as an anti-fast fashion label that promotes the idea of ‘slow fashion’ over rapid moving trends.

The sustainable clothing brand has been worn by singer Kate Nash, Sex Education actor Aimee Lou Wood and Radio 1 presenter Vick Hope and has now been featured at this year’s London Fashion Week.

Hailea’s collection, titled ‘Downpour’, is a love letter to the rainy season, and was inspired by the notorious wet weather in Manchester which is where Deidei is based.

Hailea said: “This season I wanted to have a little fun and design a collection that would be joyful to wear in the rain, since we can’t escape it in Manchester.”

Downpour was presented at the Vestry in St Pauls, Covent Garden, during London Fashion Week which took place from February 17 to 21, and was showcased alongside some of their favourite Manchester brands including ‘Hip Pop’ Kombucha and ethical skincare ‘Faith in Nature’.

The Autumn-Winter 2023 Collection “explores the spaces between nature and people".

Hailea wanted to reflect the “tension between nature and man-made” which is why the collection features feminine silhouettes and utilitarian accessories.

Sustainability and circularity are a main focus of the brand so to reduce the brand’s carbon emissions, their Autumn-Winter 2023 collection was manufactured in Manchester, in a cottage style factory.

The fabrics used in the new collection, Tencel and Cupro, are two of the most environmentally friendly materials and are part of a closed-loop system which is a process designed to keep products circulating within society for as long as possible with maximum usability and minimal waste.

Speaking on why Hailea wanted to launch a sustainable fashion business, she said: “I saw the need for a clothing brand that I could trust, a brand with empathy and joy, that cares as much about the people making the products as they do about the people wearing them.”

Deidei clothing and accessories are available to buy online www.deidei.co.uk, or can be rented via: byrotation.com.