An introduction to Black Creative Trailblazers

Allow us to introduce you to Black Creative Trailblazers – the social enterprise dedicated to showcasing and supporting Black creatives with sisters Adeola and Ronke Jane Adelakun at its creative centre.

Blazing a trail

Founded by sisters Adeola Adelakun and Ronke Jane Adelakun in 2022, Black Creative Trailblazers began with a simple problem – there were plenty of talented Black creatives in Manchester and the North, but not enough spaces for them to be seen, supported or paid fairly.

Already working with creatives through their fashion and events brand Cultureville, Adeola and Ronke Jane kept meeting artists who were doing great things – but often without access to the opportunities or networks needed to grow.

Spotting this gap, they decided to fill it themselves – founding Black Creative Trailblazers (BCT), a social enterprise dedicated to showcasing and supporting Black creatives across music, poetry, fashion, visual art and more.

As Black Creative Trailblazers, the sisters host events – from open mic nights to their Black Creative Socials – run workshops and training sessions specifically designed to support creatives, and share opportunities for funding and paid work with their network of 400 creatives. They also partner with creative and cultural institutions across the city to improve access to creative spaces.

Their flagship event

In 2022, while looking for a way to celebrate Black History Month as BCT, Adeola and Ronke Jane realised there wasn’t an event that felt right – something ambitious, creative and centred on possibility and celebration rather than just reflection or looking back. So, they decided to create it themselves.

That first event, 2022’s Black Creative Soirée, was designed as a one-off – a space to gather and showcase different kinds of creativity in one place. Bringing together live music, poetry, fashion and art at Manchester Central Library, it created a much-needed platform for artists and makers.

The eight artists and designers who took part went on to perform at festivals, show work at fashion weeks and connect with collaborators and commissioners. In short, it created real opportunities and became the catalyst for what’s now an annual Black Creative Trailblazers Showcase – their flagship event that’s gotten bigger and bolder with each year.

Fast forward to 2026 and you can see how far the event has come – this year’s Black Creative Trailblazers Showcase will bring together around 100 Black creatives from Manchester and the North West in an unmissable black-tie gala celebration.

Not just a pretty face

As well as its annual black-tie gala, Black Creative Trailblazers runs events, workshops and programmes that help creatives develop their work and connect with others.

Some of that is about visibility – putting artists on stage, in exhibitions or on the runway.

But the social enterprise also focuses on what happens behind the scenes – building networks, offering mentoring and creating opportunities. It’s not just about showcasing work for one night. It’s about helping people build sustainable creative careers.

Black Creative Trailblazers events often bring different art forms together in the same space. You might see a fashion show alongside spoken word, or a DJ set alongside a visual art installation. The idea is to reflect how creative communities actually work – not in separate categories, but side by side in a creative ecosystem.

The aim of BTC is practical as well as creative – to help address the underrepresentation of Black professionals in the UK’s creative industries by creating more access and visibility and offering long-term support. At its core, Black Creative Trailblazers is about making the creative industry more open and fairer.

The sisters behind it all

Adeola and Ronke Jane – the sisters behind Cultureville and Black Creative Trailblazers – own story has shaped their outlook.

Born in Nigeria, they moved to the UK as children – an experience that influenced how they understand identity, culture and belonging. Growing up between cultures, the sisters became aware early on of both the richness of their heritage and the lack of spaces where it was fully represented.

Long before Black Creative Trailblazers existed, its foundations were already being laid. At the University of Aberdeen, Adeola set up the African and Caribbean Society and served as president for two years – her first taste of bringing people together around culture and community. After graduating, she spent three years in Nigeria, immersing herself in local culture, fabrics and artisans, an experience that sparked Cultureville, their fashion and events brand, and ultimately led to Black Creative Trailblazers.

Ronke Jane’s path began with words. She started writing poetry at 12, and her work has since been featured in the Huffington Post, Black Ballad and Refinery 29. It was her search for spaces to perform in Manchester that led the sisters to the city’s open mic nights where they found a thriving community of creatives who needed to be showcased, connected and supported with training that would help them grow. That discovery became the heartbeat of everything they’ve built since.

Both sisters’ journeys into the creative industries came through building things themselves. With Cultureville, they created a platform that celebrates African fashion and culture through events, pop-ups and collaborations. It was both a creative outlet and a learning process, giving them direct experience of how the industry works – and where it falls short.

Their story – rooted in migration, community and self-starting – continues to shape Black Creative Trailblazers. It informs its focus on access, representation and creating opportunities that don’t rely on traditional gatekeepers.

What’s next

This autumn, Black Creative Trailblazers brings its annual showcase to Aviva Studios as part of Black History Month – building on the success of their first event here in October 2025. The showcase shines a spotlight on the remarkable work of Black artists, musicians, poets, dancers, fashion designers and more together in one programme.

It’s both a celebration and a platform – a chance for audiences to experience a wide range of creativity, and for artists to share their work with new audiences and industry professionals. And of course, for everyone to wear their best black-tie or cultural attire and soak up the atmosphere.

Black Creative Trailblazers is still growing. What started as a single event is now a wider network of creatives, collaborators and audiences. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Black Creative Trailblazers Showcase returns to Aviva Studios on 4 September 2026. Find out more here.