Darling Magazine

by AJ Craig In a year where the achievements of women are splashed across headlines and gender equality is now interpreted as a ‘non-issue’ by most, why are women still not being paid their worth?   According to Wise.com the average living cost for a single person living in London is just under £920 per month. And according to Statistica, as of late 2022, there is a difference of £5,576 between the salaries of men and woman, with the latter coming up short. And that’s not all, 2023 government reports still show that the gap is most definitely wide, with 9.4% being the median between both public and private sectors gender pay. Public occupations include emergency service and NHS workers, teachers and council workers whereas private sector jobs include domestic service providers, consumer goods providers and hospitality.   Occupations such as cleaners, childcare and teaching as well as nursing are still heavily female dominated. In the past year alone, all three professions have...

by Molly Gymer Let me introduce you to a label best known for eccentric glamour:  44 Once Upon A Time  Creating statement accessories, each piece is inspired by objects you might not think of when fantasising about your dream clutch bag.  However, their one of a kind creations are hard to forget. Blending elegance with daring designs, the brand is the picture of modern fashion.   The ‘Delicious Clutch’ features in the current collection, aptly named Bling My World, and merges two prevailing addictions: fast food and smoking. Presented in a comical way, the styling for this shoot was equally fun.  Featuring rhinestones, along with their other accessories, each are picked and applied by hand. The brand prides themselves on this on high quality, time consuming process to create quality items for their wearers.  Other accessories within the collection include the “Playing You” clutch; a diamanté keyboard bag and earrings in the peculiar shapes of champagne bott...

I’m Phoenix Atkinson, I’m a musician, a writer, an acting student, a football fan, and - I’m not well. And this isn’t just a me problem.  During the pandemic, I know we’re bored of hearing about it but give me a second, people in the North under 35 were more likely than any other age group to have developed a psychiatric disorder over the course of the pandemic - with an increase of 2.5 percentage points, according to a report from the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA). For some reason, I have this thing in my head that makes me genuinely believe that I am secretly undeserving of any kind of love. Fun!  Logically, that’s wrong.  I’ve made mistakes, like everyone on earth. I’ve learned from them and gone forward with my life, but for some reason my brain likes to just stick them on like reruns of Friends on Comedy Central.  This has been happening for as long as I can remember, but about 2 years ago it got incredibly bad and led to me being unable to even log in...

by Miette Dsouza As the lights beam in a little warehouse located in the vibrant district of Shoreditch – an almost antiseptic looking catwalk is graced by models strutting down in sheer dresses, opulent ancient jewellery and… crocs.  Yuqing Lai and Cristine Xu's collection, 'Fisher Woman's Culture', is an ode to generations of Chinese Huian fisherwomen and Baiyue heritage. Lai and Xu do an excellent job of weaving their culture into the fabric of their collection.  3D motifs like bio-based leather flowers manufactured by Vegatex mirror the floral-patterned head scarves commonly worn by women from Huian.  The avant-garde “six-leaf flowers” are made from sustainably sourced faux leather made from recycled beer and fermented brewer’s grain. MTG puts sustainability at the core of its collection by sourcing recycled fabrics for their designs as well as incorporating zero-waste tailoring. Elements of fisherwoman clothing were also incorporated into the looks right from conic...

Fashion enthusiasts and sustainability advocates, mark your calendars because we’re hosting Sheffield’s inaugural contribution to Sustainable Fashion Week . On Saturday, October 7th, Darling Magazine invites you to join them at Foundry, Sheffield, for a day jam-packed with fun and educational activities surrounding the idea of preloved fashion.  Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) is a global and online event that celebrates sustainable fashion and encourages us all to think more deeply about our clothing choices. Sheffield's event, hosted by Darling Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Emily Duff, promises to be a highlight of this week - embracing SFW’s theme’s ‘Regenerate’, ‘Repurpose’, ‘Reconnect’ and ‘Rewear’. For just £2, you can enjoy a full day of engaging activities from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, including a Swap Shop, Pop-up stalls, an Upcycle station, and a Panel Talk. Let's take a closer look at what this event has in store for you. Swap Shop: Embracing 'Regenerate' In the s...