The Ashley Centre in Epsom are hosting free fashion shows as the town gears up for the Epsom Derby.

The renowned horse-racing event starts next Saturday (June 1) and the Ashley Centre are anticipating, as in most every previous edition of the festival, one of the busiest weekends of the year.

In preparation the management are hosting free-to-attend fashion shows inside the Centre itself.

On both Friday May 24 and Saturday May 25 there will be fashion shows at the Centre from 11am until 4pm, featuring Next, House of Fraser, New Look, H&M and Marks and Spencer.

Speaking to the Surrey Comet, a spokesperson for the Centre said the idea was to highlight how fashion to wear at the Derby can be accessible for all residents and visitors to the town, not just the extravagantly wealthy.

"The idea is to give visitors to the Centre ideas for what they could buy from businesses at the Ashley Centre ahead of the Derby.

"We're hosting it and the retailers we're working with are supplying all the outfits.

"They'll also be an MC who will have some great tips and ideas for what to wear...we've got professional models coming into model the clothes and they'll be lots and lots of different clothes on show," the spokesperson said.

The Ashley Centre representative added that the Epsom Derby, as might be expected, is typically one of the biggest events in the calender for the Centre and that they aimed to treat it as a great opportunity to showcase how fashion for the masses doesn't always have to be an oxymoron.

The Spokesperson said: "It's a massive event...This is such a great opportunity to showcase what people can actually buy from their local stores. That you don't have to go up to some big expensive store, you can get things from the high street.

"They'll be some great tips for what to wear to because at the Derby you're up on the Downs and you cannot tell whether it will be burning sunshine or quite chilly. Ideas for layering and things like that will make sure people can get in spot on."

For more information go to: www.facebook.com/TheAshleyCentre