Honey, it’s a Cold World: Student’s sustainable charity catwalk hits the runway at UON

‘Sustainable fashion’ was the name of the game for Fashion Marketing and Promotion students last week, as they hosted a winter catwalk at the University of Northampton’s Waterside campus to fundraise for Oxfam.

With responsibility for all aspects of the event from central organisation to preparing the catwalk looks, 22 second-year Fashion Marketing and Promotion students teamed up to deliver an exciting, impactive event in the Creative Hub to an audience of nearly 100 people on Tuesday (13 December).

The event, ‘Honey, it’s a Cold World’, was opened by student hosts, Kerrie Boachie and Jason Dodd, and featured fashion designs created using pre-loved clothes from local Oxfam stores, reducing waste and excess whilst promoting sustainability in the fashion industry.

Four students from the Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics for Stage and Screen course were also hard at work backstage to lend a hand with preparing the final hair and makeup looks of the catwalk models.

Students managed to raise a grand total of more than £300, which will be donated to Oxfam’s global efforts to fight poverty, with a particular focus on their dedicated efforts to support those seriously impacted by floods and climate change in Pakistan.

Gabriela Theologou was one of the students who organised the event as part of her second year studies. She said: “As we only had two months to prepare, I am very proud of everything myself and my course mates achieved, as it was the first time we’ve staged an event, with the many responsibilities that go into preparing and presenting a fashion show.

“The preparation of the event wasn’t easy as we faced lots of issues and concerns along the way, but all the hard work was worth it once we saw the event come to life.

“It was a very special opportunity to work closely with Oxfam and play my part in raising money for a charity and highlighting the important issue of sustainable fashion.”

Local Kettering Oxfam Store Manager, Vimal Shah, attended on behalf of the charity, and commented: “This year’s fashion event was absolutely fantastic – the best one yet, I’d say!

“Here at Oxfam, we’re always excited to be involved with the event and join with the students here at University of Northampton. The students demonstrated great professionalism and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”

To contribute towards the student’s grand total, visit their Just Giving page.

Find out more about studying Fashion Marketing and Promotion at the University of Northampton.