How a DIY fashion show united Manchester and China for one night only

In late 2023, fashion school grads Meka Goulding, Poppy McEwen and Ella Moore set off on the almost 6,000-mile journey from Manchester to Ningbo in China, which would become their home for the next two years. Before moving there, the trio had spent four years living together before they were offered the opportunity to teach fashion business and photography at Zhejiang Fashion Institute of Technology. “Before we came, we were told by doctors, teachers and ex-expats that we had to be careful, that we wouldn’t be accepted, that we wouldn’t be safe, especially since a few of us heading over were queer,” says Goulding of their trip. “What we experienced was so far from anything we ever expected.”

To celebrate their time teaching at ZFIT – and to honour the hospitality of the people in Ningbo – Goulding, McEwen and Moore set about creating a cross-cultural exchange. Enlisting 16 student designers from the University of Salford, and six photographers from Ningbo, the trio staged a DIY runway show at Ningbo’s Bang Museum, uniting the two cultures in creative expression. While this took place back in June, the organisers recently showcased the work at an exhibition in Manchester in November, where fashion fans and the city’s Chinese community came together to celebrate the creative convergence of two cultures.

Below, we chat to Goulding about pulling together the runway show, her favourite pieces from the collections, and setting up the accompanying exhibition back home.

Hey Meka – can you explain the inspiration behind Night in Ningbo?

Meka Goulding: Growing up in the UK, I think we’re subjected to a very narrow-minded view of the world, especially the East. Unknowingly – or knowingly for some – we are spoon-fed propaganda on differing cultures. But the two years I lived in China were so much more than a journey of evolving; it was a complete recreation of the foundational views I had on the East. Before we came, we were told by doctors, teachers and ex-expats that we had to be careful, that we wouldn’t be accepted, that we wouldn’t be safe, especially since a few of us heading over were queer. What we experienced was so far from anything we ever expected. We were greeted with such immense love, generosity and acceptance.

What was the most challenging thing about putting together the event and exhibition?

Meka Goulding: I think the most challenging thing we came across was trust. A lot of people we worked with in China were, understandably, worried about how their country and people were going to be portrayed. It took weeks of communication and patience in order to build that trust so we could create something mutually beneficial yet honestly reflected both the Chinese and British creatives involved.

I think cross-culture projects are necessary right now. The world is so divided

Were there any unexpected links you discovered between the two cultures?

Meka Goulding: The love for creativity. There is a perception that China lacks creativity and the freedom within that, but this is so far from the truth. China does favour academia over the arts, but what needs to be recognised within that is that when people decide to follow a life of creativity over academia, it is a powerful decision. There was something so concrete and potent about the creatives we met in China. It reminded us of home and our creative friends pushing for a life full of art in the UK.

Do you have plans for any more cross-cultural projects?

Meka Goulding: We are actually going back to China in January to see our friends and students. We want to show them Night in Ningbo and hopefully showcase something there so they can see their creativity reflected in Manchester. I think cross-cultural projects are necessary right now. The world is so divided, with so much hate and segregation. We need community, and, more importantly, cross-cultural community. Art can help us achieve this.

Do you have any favourite pieces from the collections?

Meka Goulding: There were these insane headpieces created by designer Owen Blockley. They were stunning. To be honest, his whole collection had this movement to it, as though the clothes were dancing around the models as they walked the runway.

How did the exhibition opening go?

Meka Goulding: Some beautiful moments happened at the event. A girl was walking past on her way home from work, and on one of the walls, we had a projector flicking through videos from Ningbo. She ran in and began telling us that Ningbo is her home. She only moved to Manchester a year ago, and she had really struggled to make friends and find people she felt safe with. We introduced her to some of our friends who were also from Ningbo, and they chatted in Chinese about memories of their hometown. The projected video was over 1 hour long, and she sat and videoed the whole thing, FaceTiming different family members to show them.

Another 24-year-old lad came to the event. He was adopted from China to Wales when he was very young, and in his town in Wales, there are no other Chinese people. He was a fashion designer and obsessed with art and culture, and Night in Ningbo came up on his Instagram, and he decided to come by himself. At the end of the night, he’d met some Chinese people who’d grown up in the city he was adopted from.

What would you say the overall objective of the project was?

Meka Goulding: To give Chinese students living in Manchester a piece of their home, to show the beautiful work of the designers from Salford, and to give our students and friends from Ningbo a deserved platform in Manchester. But over all of that, it was to show unity, across cultures, through fashion, photography, creativity and fun.