There was a time that if you mentioned that you were from Manchester, wherever you were in the World, and I literally mean anywhere, take my word for this, the other person no matter their nationality would smile at you and say, “ahhhh Manchester United, the Haçienda” and maybe, “Coronation Street”. The world renounced Superclub paved the way for the likes of Cream, The Ministry of Sound, plus countless Ibizan club night running to this day and even earned the accolade of, “the most famous club in the World”, by Newsweek Magazine.
It was far more then a nightclub, owned by the late music Svengali, sometime TV Presenter and all round Mancunian legend Anthony (or Tony) H Wilson with the groundbreaking group New Order. Much has been documented about the unique way the Haçienda or Haç, as it was universally known was managed, its gangland violence and drug troubles, its legendary Nights, DJ’s and musical acts including, Beautiful 2000, Flesh, Nude, Graeme Park, Mike Pickering, Dave Haslam, The Smiths and someone called Madonna’s first UK performance.
This year marks, what would or should have been, the club’s 30th Anniversary and as part of a series of cultural events to celebrate this, the Haçienda team have worked with the Sports heritage brand Ellesse on a bespoke collection to commemorate three decades of the legendary club.
This anniversary tribute honours the spirit and history of The Haçienda and the style influences which evolved from the iconic club, the collection being themed as “Label, Location, Legacy”.
This unique and limited edition collaboration will be previewed at a launch event in Manchester’s Harvey Nichols store on Thursday 17th May, four days prior to The Hacienda’s actual anniversary, 21st May 2012. The in-store event will also see a Q&A session with Peter Hook, Graeme Park and other characters from FAC 51’s, the Haçienda individual number, which was given to every project undertaken my Wilson’s Factory Records, plus DJ sets and the first chance to order the highly limited numbers of the commemorative Haçienda shirts.
A point of interest for all you memorabilia geeks, sorry I mean collectors is, the metal buttons on this limited capsule collection sourced from the legendary venue itself, offering each purchase a true piece of Haçienda history. With three designs, coming individually numbered in runs of only 51 shirts, each signed by The Haçienda’s Peter Hook. Each shirt in the collection is individually named and comes with bespoke design elements and packaging, which ensures these pieces are sure to become much sought after collectors items for the many Haçienda and Factory devotees.
Alongside the limited edition product launch, there is set to be a trio of Manchester events(X1, X2 & X3, get it), details of which can be found at fac51thehacienda.com and also at facebook.com/fac51thehacienda.
The anniversary will also see an exhibition at Manchester Photographic Gallery running throughout May, which will feature a specially constructed model of The Haçienda and a whole host of unseen Haçienda material and original photography from the archives.
www.facebook.com/fac51thehacienda
http://www.ellesseheritage.com/
