On the 4th of May the Newcastle University Fashion Society put on their first annual fashion show, and it was certainly a night not to be missed. All guests on the night were greeted by society members with sushi and prosecco, and even a cameraman who took images of members of the audience. Stalls were also set up around the venue, and the weather was perfect. There were vintage clothing stalls, featuring eco-friendly brands as well as bargain-priced, but quality vintage stalls. The handmade jewellery stalls also featured some stunning pieces, all made from locally sourced items. The eco-friendly factors were definitely a talking point of the show, and the audience definitely left feeling more invested in sustainable fashion.
The show was hashtagged #BREAKTHESTIGMA and the president of the society- Khaleel Shazada explained that many people had approached him, stating that they were not into fashion, or they were too masculine to be interested in it, yet he wanted to demonstrate that fashion is a creative art form and a way of expressing yourself and this was where the hashtag came from. The show demonstrated many versatile ways to style pieces, showcasing its wearability, with some more extravagant styles and others less so and there was a huge mix of brands and diverse model range who all looked fantastic on each of the walks.
In total there were eight walks and eight different collections. Some of these included NUFS denim, designed by students of the university, which showcased versatile ways to wear denim, rather than the standard trend of a blue jacket and jeans and Fash1, a local sexy bodycon brand for women, and all the models looked stunning in these collections. The Zero Waste collection was certainly not one to be missed and was definitely a talking point of the whole show, as the brand makes clothing from waste products such as plastic bottles which would otherwise be polluting the planet. The show also wanted to showcase the excellent student talent around Newcastle and so one of the walks featured Laurel’s collection (an upcoming designer from Northumbria) who wanted to showcase modest female fashion. The designer’s inspiration was that modest women were underestimated in the media, of course, not that there is anything wrong with #freethenipple, only that women who choose to be modest should also be represented as well. All her garments were absolutely stunning and looked so professional and mature. Vintage clothing was also showcased, as Newcastle has some rare pearls there; The Yesterday society and Trendlistr whose shops can be found in the centre of Newcastle. A favourite was certainly the international walk, which showed off different cultures from around the world in terms of fashion and finally, a spectacular finale by the AWR (Always Wear Red) collection. This brand focuses on the colour red, demonstrating that confidence is a colour and this colour is red.!
The effort that had been put into the show was so evident, with every detail being thought out by the huge amount of people who got involved with its organisation. The founder of the society, Annie Chavez, was extremely emotional in stating that she wanted to create something inspirational, and she really did. The catwalks succeeded in their intention– to #BREAKDOWNTHESTIGMA, as all the audience left feeling that fashion is a form of art, and how you style it is how you can express yourself. The fashion show was certainly a night to remember, and I cannot wait for next year’s!