Manchester Girls: Photographs That Celebrate Northern Women, Their Strength And Their Style

Dean Davies and Vicky Olschak

In their series, Manchester Girls, photographer Dean Davies and stylist Vicky Olschak pay homage to the Northern women who shaped their youth.

More: Kickstarter, Dean Davies, Instagram h/t: creativeboom

Dean Davies and Vicky Olschak

Taking two years to complete, the project intends to capture the “youthful mischief and everyday mundanity of life in Manchester’s suburban sprawl”, revealing what Dean and Vicky call some of the less documented female perspectives of the city’s working-class.

Dean Davies and Vicky Olschak

Responding to an open call, the volunteer models are friends in real life and are styled in fashion trends from both Dean and Vicky’s youth. Shot in locations in and around Manchester, the women from Tameside, Hyde and Dukinfield pose proudly in outfits plucked from the 1990s – tracksuits and trainers, glittery dresses and neon shoes.

Dean Davies and Vicky Olschak

Growing up in Merseyside, Dean’s upbringing has undoubtedly influenced his work, inspiring him to focus his lens on communities close to home in the North West. “I’ve seen a lot of male-fronted photography of the North West, so I wanted to capture something that better reflected my experiences of growing up in the region,” says Dean, of the series. “This is a love letter to Manchester and the women I grew up around, and who continue to inform and inspire me.”

Dean Davies and Vicky Olschak

Coming soon as a new book, following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Manchester Girls is “part reality, part fiction” – a homage to the strong women that informed both Dean and Vicky’s teenage years. “As a Manchester girl myself, I am constantly inspired by the city and its people,” says Vicky. “We are approaching this project as a celebration of women and Northern style, informed by growing up in Manchester, fashion, friendship, and memories.”

Dean Davies and Vicky Olschak