Day: May 2, 2026

Multrees Walk hosts Exhibition: Coordinated – a unique Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Showcase

Multrees Walk, Scotland’s leading luxury shopping destination, is proud to announce an exciting showcase event Exhibition: Coordinated celebrating the conclusion of its collaboration with students from Edinburgh College of Art (ECA).

The fashion exhibition, which will take place at Genesis Studio Edinburgh on Multrees Walk from 1st to 3rdMay, unveils a stunning collection of fashion designs created by Edinburgh College of Art’s talented second year students.

The event spotlights several of the students’ final works in a celebration of creativity, craftsmanship and collaboration. Visitors can expect an engaging experience of fashion installations and behind-the-scenes storytelling and design journeys from the students themselves.

Launched at the start of their second-year programme, this unique collaboration has seen Multrees Walk mentor and sponsor ECA fashion students throughout their academic year, from early design concepts to commercial recognition.

Over the past several months, students were tasked with creating a commercially minded co-ord garment, exploring themes of sustainability, customer profiling and commercialisation. The students have gained invaluable experience working with Multrees Walk and luxury retailers such as Harvey Nichols and Johnstons of Elgin.

Professor Mal James, Programme Director, Personal Chair of Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Fashion at Edinburgh College of Art, commented: “Having our students’ designs and final garments exhibited within Multrees Walk is a rewarding opportunity for our students.

“By taking their ideas out with the college studios and directly into the city’s heart of fashion, this allows their creativity to be seen in the same space as some of the world’s leading brands.

“This event is truly a celebration of their hard work, talent and creativity- we are thankful to Multrees Walk for this fantastic opportunity, and to our fashion lecturers and technicians who worked closely with them on the project.”

Dr Patricia Wu, Year 2 Fashion Lecturer and academic project lead, added: “Collaborating on this project has been a delight.

“It has provided students with an enriching experience, teaching them the importance of commercial design and the relationship between designers and real-world customers beyond fashion shows.

“This project encouraged students to consider consumer preferences while allowing them to express their unique design identities”

Leigh Aitchison, Centre Manager at Multrees Walk, said: “Over the past academic year, and through mentorship and real-world insight from our retailers, the students have developed a real understanding of the commercial world of fashion.

“We have all been truly impressed and inspired by the students’ creativity, their passion for research and the original ideas they brought to life through their final designs.”

Adam Stone, Head of European Retail Leasing Strategy at Nuveen, added: “Supporting second-year fashion students from Edinburgh College of Art has been central to our vision for Multrees Walk.

“This collaboration has connected students with leading international brands and we can see first-hand how beneficial this project has been. We’re thrilled to be able to showcase the students’ designs in this impressive and illustrative exhibition.”

Exhibition: Coordinated will take place between 1 May and 3 May at Genesis Studio Edinburgh, Multrees Walk, Edinburgh. The free event will be open to the public from 10:00 to 16:00 each day.

Millions of UK households skipping meals as confidence in the economy plummets, Which? warns

Three million UK households are being forced to skip meals and cut family visits according to new research from Which? that reveals the human impact of cost of living pressures and collapsing consumer confidence.

Which?’s latest Consumer Insight Tracker shows that households across the country are having to take more and more drastic measures to mitigate rising costs. 

In the month to 10 April, Which? found consumer confidence fell to -62 – the lowest level since the height of the cost of living crisis in 2022 (-70). This decline reflects a widespread pessimism as the vast majority of UK adults (71%) think the UK economy will worsen over the next 12 months, while fewer than one in ten (9%) think it will improve. 

Which? found an overwhelming majority of UK adults (85%) are now worried about food prices – up from 83 per cent in February. This concern is forcing lifestyle changes as two thirds (67%) of households have made at least one adjustment to their shopping or eating habits in the last month to reduce how much they spend on food. 

The most common adjustments are buying cheaper products (43%), buying more supermarket own budget-range items (37%), and buying extra items when on promotion (31%).

Concerningly, Which? found one in seven (15%) UK households reported going without some foods and one in ten – equivalent to three million households – are now skipping meals to keep the cost of their weekly shop down. 

Food is not the only major concern for households, Which? found eight in ten (83%) UK adults are worried about fuel prices – this figure has shot up from 71 per cent in February of this year. Over two thirds (69%) have made adjustments to their driving habits to battle costs, with knock-on effects on their social and family lives.

Most common adjustments include making fewer leisure trips over the last month (33%),  and planning journeys more carefully (23%). However, about one in eight said they had visited friends and family less (13%). 

This increase in concern over everyday essentials reflects how financial difficulty has risen rapidly throughout 2026. Consumer sentiment was already bad prior to the Middle East conflict, but has fallen sharply in the last two months.

In the month to 10 April, over half (53%), or an estimated 15 million UK households, made adjustments to cover essential spending, such as cutting back on essentials (29%), using savings (25%), selling possessions (9%), or borrowing from friends or family (9%).

Worryingly, 7.7% of UK households missed a house bill, loan, or credit card payment. The average rate of missed payments over the last three months was 7.5%, up significantly from 5.7% at the end of last year. If this trend continues, missed payments will reach levels seen during the peak of the cost-of-living crisis over the next few months.

These findings intensify pressure on the government to find interventions that will ease household costs, improve consumer confidence and restore faith in markets. Businesses must also do everything possible to support their customers and ensure they are offering genuine value for money as millions of households struggle to cover the basics. 

With many households now reaching a breaking point, Which? is calling for urgent policy interventions outlined in a manifesto launched in Parliament this week to tackle unfair rip-offs and improve access to essentials. 

The manifesto includes a priority call to reform the Healthy Start scheme, a vital nutritional safety net for low-income families during pregnancy and early childhood. Which? is warning that its value has failed to keep pace with food inflation and is urging the government to uprate payments, expand eligibility to all families on Universal Credit, and encourage supermarket support to ensure those struggling most can afford a healthy diet.

As financial difficulty continues to rise, anyone struggling to afford essential payments such as housing, bills or credit cards should speak to their provider immediately for support. 

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “Our latest research highlights the deepening strain not only on household finances, but also on people’s physical and social wellbeing as cost of living pressures bite.

“Many are already making difficult choices, such as skipping meals. Without meaningful interventions the number of people taking drastic measures is likely to increase.

“We need to see urgent action, as set out in our Cost of Living Manifesto, to address these costs and help restore confidence before even more households are pushed into serious financial difficulty.”

Which? Cost of Living Manifesto: Full Policy Report April 2026 

WHICH-manifestoDownload