From power suits to the passion for Pandora, the business of fashion will be on the agenda at a breakfast networking event in Hull city centre.

Make Fashion Your Business will be presented by a partnership of city centre retailers and is organised by HullBID.

It will take place at 7.30am on Thursday 1 May at Caffè Nero inside the House of Fraser store in Paragon Square, Hull.

Admission is free of charge and includes give-away goody bags and a breakfast of tea, coffee and mini pastries, but advance booking is essential.

The event is part of the Hull Fashion Week programme and will feature an insight into the industry from Kerry White, Senior Sales Manager at House of Fraser in Hull, and Mike Rice, Director Responsible for Client Experience at Hull-based jewellers Hugh Rice.

Kerry, who has worked in Hull, Doncaster and Meadowhall during 15 years with House of Fraser, said: “We’ll be looking at what sort of things people wear for business, because it has changed over the years.

“Some people still go for power suits but others take a more laid back approach so we’ll be focusing on three looks – the business look, a smart-casual look and something more relaxed.

“The difference in choice of attire probably depends on where you work but there has definitely been a move away from black and grey so we will look at how we cater for business people – men and women.”

Mike Rice will talk about how the family firm of Hugh Rice has expanded over the last 43 years from an underground workshop into a network of eight locations, with jewellery stores in St Stephen’s Shopping Centre, Hull, and Toll Gavel, Beverley, plus specialist Pandora outlets across Yorkshire.

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “Our business networking events are proving increasingly popular and they all started with the Make Fashion Your Business event during last year’s Hull Fashion Week.

“The presentations from Kerry and Mike will be informative but also informal and will give people an idea of the importance of the fashion industry to the economy of Hull city centre, where a lot of businesses provide excellent products and services in clothing, jewellery, hair, beauty and more.

“Many of those businesses will also feature prominently during the rest of the Hull Fashion Week schedule which brings together the main shopping centres, the big department stores and the small independent retailers for a programme of fantastic, free fashion events.”

To book your place at Make Fashion Your Business contact HullBID call 01482 611850 or email alana@hullbid.co.uk

Hull Fashion Week begins on Saturday 26 April and will close on Saturday 3 May with a catwalk finale at Hull City Hall hosted by BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show presenter Lizzie Rose and Hull-based Northern Rapper Luke Chambers, also known as Nineties Boy. For full details of the Hull Fashion Week programme visit www.hullfashion.co.uk