A MAJOR festival celebrating Pennine Lancashire's cotton industry gets under way in Blackburn today.
The first British Textile Biennial in the town runs at a variety of venues until October 20.
It was opened at a private event at Blackburn Cathedral last night.
A second invitation-only reception at The Cotton Exchange launched an exhibition of the work of Darwen designer Gary Aspden who has provided Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher with his own trainers.
Mr Aspden, who has created for Adidas for 20 years, will bring 1,000 of his own and other collectors’ shoes to the venue.
The display will be one of the highlights of the high-profile national event.
A limited-edition Nightsafe version of 200 special Adidas Blackburn SPZL trainers will be available to collectors at the exhibition.
Commissioned by Super Slow Way, the Biennial highlights expression in textiles against the backdrop of the Pennine Lancashire cotton industry.
Laurie Peake, director of Super Slow Way, said: “Gary is a great product of Pennine Lancashire with textiles and fashion in his DNA – the son of a mill worker and one of a generation of passionate Rovers fans whose wardrobes are a vital vehicle of self-expression.”
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