“My name is Ettie and on 23 February this year, I hosted a Fashion Show in partnership with St Richard’s Hospice that brought in approximately 300 guests and raised £2818.90 for this wonderful charity.”
“I started this journey back in May when I met a volunteer from St. Richards at Malvern St James. We started talking about my A Levels, my career, and my passion for clothes and the environment. After the conversation, I went straight to our Director of Pastoral Care, Mrs Wilkinson’s office with a grin on my face. I explained that I wanted to put on a Fashion Show, to not only support the community but to raise money for such an important charity and to raise awareness about making sustainable fashion choices.”
“It is safe to say that I did not know the amount of time, effort, and people it takes to put on such a big event, I am now sincerely humbled. I spent time talking to Ester, the Manager of St Richard’s Hospice Charity Shop which is located in Barnard’s Green, who seemed to be just as thrilled with the idea as I was.”
“The event then snowballed into a dynamic evening with a pop-up shop, a bar, a selection of canapes made and served by the Lieth’s Cookery School girls, and a runway showcasing three themes: ‘In the Country’, ‘Upcycled Chic’, and ‘Glitz & Glam’ modeled by 42 models from Year 7 through to staff. After so many months of planning and learning about event management, I was ecstatic when the evening went just as well as I had hoped.
Clothes, pre-loved clothes, and upcycling clothes have been a lifelong passion of mine so putting on a Charity Fashion Show has meant a lot to me. I wanted to host this event to promote second-hand clothing and to rid any negative stigmas around shopping at charity shops. My aim for this event was to inspire the guests to be as passionate about clothes as I am and to encourage them to think about where their clothes come from, to support charity shops, and to neglect a throw-away society in support of a more sustainable fashion future. This is a topic that I feel very strongly about, which is why I am continuing my enthusiasm when I go to university to study Sustainable Fashion in September 2024.”
