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I've been very busy recently planning my move but I've managed to get some time off last Thursday to make my way over to the Bullring in Birmingham for Smiggle’s new flagship opening. I was kindly invited by the stationery brand to celebrate the opening along other bloggers and to find out about their Christmas range. |About Smiggle| Australian brand Smiggle has made people ‘smile’ and ‘giggle’ since 2003. It is owned by Just Group, a fashion and apparel retailer, and sells colourful, fashionable and fun stationery. Alisa, regional manager who looks after the UK roll out, told me that there are 170 stores across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The brand decided to approach the European market before America, as there is more potential to be established. 2014 has been Smiggle's year to conquer Europe with the opening of 16 stores in the UK. Bristol and Solihull were opened in the last six weeks and there are two more to come to Derby and London before Christmas, plus t...

Following up on my introductory post about  Birmingham's Fashion icon The Bull , I'd like to find out in today's post who is the designer behind his gorgeous outfits. Someone as famous and well known as the Bull can’t just quickly drop into the Bullring for shopping and ignore fans and admires from all over the world. Totally understandable, that the bull has his own stylist for custom-made clothes. Did you know that a winter jumper, knitted by Stitches and Hos, was made from 14kg of wool and 12 people were involved in putting the jumper on him? I was curious and interviewed talented designer  Kate Unwin , who created the recent Christmas wear and several other styles for the bull. Here’s the full interview. Q: What was your reaction when you were asked to design an outfit for the bull? K: I was initially asked to come and interview for the outfit before the Christmas bull and was offered the job. They mentioned in the interview that the Christmas bull was also ...

This month will be focused on Birmingham as a fashion destination. I'm very busy writing on the blog post for the Fashion Week (end), so in the meantime I'd like to introduce you to Birmingham's fashion model No 1: the Bull at the Bullring. Enjoy and feel free to leave me a comment in the section below the post. The Bull at the main gateway to the Bullring in Rotunda Square is not only the UK's largest animal statute and the city's mascot; to me, ‘he’ is also the secret fashion icon of the West Midlands. Whether ‘naked’ or ‘dressed’ the Bull always makes an impression. This picture was taken last summer (2013) and shows the Bull in his own little flower garden. The year before he supported Team GB. Ever since its introduction in September 2003 by designer Laurence Broderick, the Bull has been known for having his own wardrobe filled with designer clothes and handmade garments. From woolly jumpers, to stylish leather jackets he has sported a number of outfits, which ...