Her selection of linen and natural cotton pieces stood out for its artisanal sensibility at a catwalk event celebrating local talent.
2015 ·Special MentionEmerging Designers Catwalk — King Street, Manchester
Since 2015
About Us
A passion for fashion. One woman. Eleven years by your side.
The Woman Behind Every Piece
Before Olivia Manchester, there was Olivia Harrington. A Mancunian with a love for beautiful fabrics, flattering cuts and the stories woven into every piece. This is her story — and, in many ways, ours too.
THE BEGINNINGS
THE BEGINNINGS
From an early age, Olivia Harrington would sketch dresses in the margins of her school notebooks. While her friends played in the playground, she watched women walking along Deansgate and dreamt of the day someone would wear one of her creations.
She studied fashion design, travelled to trade shows in Milan and Paris, and spent years working in small local workshops, learning to sew by hand, understand fabrics and respect the craft behind every garment.
For Olivia, fashion was never simply a business — it was a way of caring for people.
SPRING 2015
THE DAY WE OPENED OUR DOORS
In the spring of 2015, a dream that had begun years earlier in the margins of Olivia Harrington’s school notebooks finally became a reality.
Surrounded by family, friends and some of our very first customers, Olivia cut the ribbon and opened the doors of her first shop in the heart of Manchester. Above the entrance was the name she had imagined for so long: Olivia Manchester.
The shop was modest, but every detail had been chosen with care. The rails held pieces Olivia believed women would genuinely love to wear — elegant, comfortable and timeless.
That opening day was about far more than opening a shop. It was the beginning of a place where women could feel welcomed, understood and confident in what they wore.
Every woman who walked through our doors that day became part of the first chapter of a story we are still proudly writing today.
OUR WAY OF DOING THINGS
RECOGNITION ALONG THE WAY
Every piece at Olivia Manchester is carefully selected by Olivia Harrington, with close attention to fabric, fit and finishing touches.
Rather than following every passing trend, we look for styles that feel elegant, comfortable and easy to wear — pieces designed to become part of your wardrobe for seasons to come.
RECOGNITION ALONG THE WAY
Recognised among more than 300 local businesses for its personalised service and distinctive curation.
2020 · Boutique of the YearManchester City Centre Traders’ Association
Selected as one of five British boutiques recognised for championing local independent fashion.
2022 · FinalistManchester Fashion · Supporting Independent Retail
Featured in the annual list of boutiques every woman in Manchester should know.
2024 · Top 10 Must-Visit BoutiquesManchester Fashion Magazine — Manchester Boutiques
Moments We’ll Never Forget
5th Anniversary — 2020
We filled the shop with white flowers and welcomed every woman who came through the door that Saturday with a glass of cava. Five years. More than three thousand women dressed by Olivia Manchester. A family that had grown before we even realised it.
Going Digital — 2021
The world came to a standstill, but our desire to keep dressing you never did. That May, we launched oliviamanchester.uk and, for the first time, a customer from Bristol ordered a dress without ever having met us in person. We cried as we printed that very first shipping label.
10th Anniversary — 2025
A decade. A whole decade. We wrote it twice because we still cannot quite believe it. We welcomed you into the shop with Champagne and gave each of you a white rose, with your name handwritten on it. Some of you cried. So did we.
You are the heart of Olivia Manchester
More than 9,000 women have worn our pieces. Some came to us in search of their wedding dress. Others were looking for the perfect coat for an interview, an outfit to celebrate a promotion, or simply something beautiful to wear on an ordinary Tuesday.
Every one of you is part of our story. Without you, Olivia Harrington’s vision for Olivia Manchester would have been nothing more than a name above a shop door.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
The story of Olivia Manchester has been shaped not only by a dream, but by every person who has chosen to be part of it.
To our customers, friends, partners and everyone who has supported us over the years, thank you for your trust, your kindness and for continuing to believe in what we began here in Manchester.
Every order, every message and every recommendation has helped this story grow, while allowing us to remain true to the values that have guided us from the very beginning.
What started as one woman’s dream has become something far more meaningful because of you.
Thank you for being part of our story.
With love,
Olivia Harrington