An organisation that unites fashion designers and comedians in aid of charity made its Leeds debut last week.
Thursday’s Fashion Loves Comedy event at Left Bank in Hyde Park saw nine female, transgender and non-binary comedians team up with local designers to deliver a catwalk followed by a 10-minute set. The night was headlined by actress and comedian Kerry Godliman (Afterlife, Derek, Taskmaster). The event was in aid of Choose Love, a charity which provides aid and support to refugees across the world.
Bo Carter, founder of the event, grew up in Poland before moving to Leeds. She launched her brand, simply called Bo Carter, in 2010, based on principles of inclusivity and ethical practices. Having directed many runway shows with the brand, Carter was given the idea to incorporate stand-up acts by comic Tiff Stevenson.
After a successful launch of the concept in London earlier this year, Bo said she was always keen to look north for future events; “We want to do far more events up north. We’ll be travelling round the planet to hit every city one day, but Leeds is our hometown”.
Carter said her plans for Fashion Love Comedy were initially much less long-term, but that she was motivated by conversations with women on the comedy circuit who admitted that they often avoided dressing up on stage. She said: “They don’t want to bring attention to themselves because they are female, which is so wrong.
“If you want to dress up and be visible then you should be able to, and we hope that we can empower them to do that”.
She also vowed to try and create opportunities for those in creative industries who often move down south to find work. The event saw close collaboration with students, past and present, of Leeds Arts University. Carter said, “Working with students is our number one priority. It is our job as an industry to create more opportunities up north”.
Fashion Loves Comedy will return to London for their next show in March 2025.