How Fashion Brands Hire in Manchester: A Recruiter’s Perspective

If you’ve ever tried hiring for a fashion role in Manchester and thought, “Why does this feel harder than it should?” you’re not alone.

On paper, Manchester looks like a dream. Creative talent everywhere, strong universities, ambitious brands, lower overheads than London. Yet behind the scenes, hiring here trips brands up all the time.

Why? Because recruitment in Manchester doesn’t work the same way as London, and too many brands still treat it like it does.

Let me explain how it actually works.

Why recruitment looks different in Manchester (and why that matters)

Manchester fashion teams are smaller. Leaner. More hands-on.

That means:

• Fewer siloed roles

  
  

• More hybrid jobs

  
  

• A much bigger emphasis on culture fit

In London, a brand might hire a buyer who only buys. In Manchester, that same person is often buying, analysing sell-through, feeding into marketing and sitting in on product meetings.

So the question isn’t:

“Can they do the job?”

It’s:

“Can they handle the pace, the variety, and the responsibility?”

And culture matters more than most brands admit. In tight teams, one wrong hire doesn’t just slow things down, it changes the whole dynamic.

If you’ve ever hired someone technically strong who just didn’t quite click, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

How long does it really take to hire in fashion?

Let’s be honest for a second. If you’re expecting to fill a fashion role in a week or two, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Here’s what we see in reality:

• Junior roles: 3–5 weeks

Plenty of applicants, but quality varies wildly.

• Mid-level roles: 4–8 weeks

This is where most delays happen. Candidates are working, selective, and usually weighing up more than one option.

• Senior or niche hires: 8–12 weeks

These candidates aren’t applying. They’re being approached, carefully.

So ask yourself:

Are you hiring with a realistic timeline, or are you reacting because someone handed in their notice?

Common hiring mistakes we see all the time

I’ll be blunt here, because it’s usually the same issues coming up again and again.

1. Relying on generic recruiters

If a recruiter is hiring warehouse staff one day and fashion merchandisers the next, they’re guessing, not advising.

Fashion recruitment is specialised. If your recruiter doesn’t understand seasons, margins, lead times or how teams actually work, they can’t assess properly. Simple as that.

2. Vague or confused briefs

“We want someone commercial but creative.”

“Senior, but hands-on.”

“Strategic, but happy to muck in.”

That’s fine, but only if someone helps you define what that actually looks like day to day. Otherwise, you’ll interview five people and like none of them.

3. Underestimating digital capability

This one catches brands out constantly.

A strong fashion CV isn’t enough anymore. If a candidate can’t work confidently with data, platforms, or digital teams, they’ll struggle, even in traditionally ‘creative’ roles.

Are you hiring for where your brand was, or where it’s going?

When it makes sense to use a specialist fashion recruiter

Not every hire needs a recruiter. But there are moments where it makes a real difference.

In our experience, that’s usually when:

You’re scaling quickly and can’t afford a mis-hire

• The role is confidential

  
  

• You need someone with a very specific background

  
  

• You’ve already tried and it hasn’t worked

A specialist fashion recruiter doesn’t just send CVs. They challenge assumptions, shape briefs, and tell you when something isn’t realistic, even if it’s not what you want to hear.

That honesty saves time, money, and frustration.

Where the best candidates actually come from

Here’s a truth most job ads won’t tell you:

The best fashion candidates in Manchester aren’t applying.

They’re:

• Working quietly in strong teams

• Known within local networks

• Recommended by people who’ve worked with them before

Local recruiters spend years building those relationships, with designers, merchandisers, digital leads, and production teams, as well as keeping close ties with Manchester’s universities and creative micro-clusters.

That’s how you find people who fit your brand, not just your job description.

Final thought

Hiring in Manchester isn’t about copying London’s playbook and hoping for the best. It’s about understanding the city, the talent, and the way fashion businesses actually operate here.

If you’re serious about building a strong team, not just filling a role, it’s worth asking yourself:

Are we hiring reactively… or properly?

If you want support from people who genuinely know the Manchester fashion scene, working with a fashion recruitment agency in Manchester that’s embedded in the industry can make all the difference.

And if you’re unsure what you need right now?

That conversation usually comes before the job spec, not after.