Preparations are well underway for Cherwell Collective’s sustainable fashion show ‘Ripples of Change‘, which takes place on Wednesday night (October 1) at Blenheim Palace, as 10 local fashion designers will showcase their designs on the catwalk.
Expect diverse models young and old wearing designs made from environmentally-friendly materials to demonstrate how the fashion industry can reuse, rethink, support a healthy planet and consider how fashion can be improved for the future.
Which means the outfits gracing the runway will showcase clothing made from plants, old football kits and even plastic waste to bring the seemingly elegant gowns to the runway.
Returning for the second year in a row, Ripples of Change’s line-up includes local designers Molliemae Cox, Julie Bunn, Activate Learning Art and Design Students, Ballroom Emporium, Donna Roper, Curtain Couture, Imogen Barrow-Starkey for Oxford United Football Club, Oxfam, Emily Martinez, Felix Pedrosa Welsh and Eva Clarkson.
Sophie Law from BBC Radio Oxford will host the evening while Lady Boss Events have trained the crew of models whose diverse ethnicity, age, body shape, profession, and experience form part of the Ripples of Change experience.
Each designer has created their designs based around a different theme. For example Imogen Barrow-Starkey, a passionate and creative young designer from West Oxfordshire, has been working with Oxford United Football Club using their unsold shirts to give the polyester fabrics new life. Designed to feel glamorous while evidencing their sportswear past – her designs utilise drawstrings, lace and old silhouettes.
Molliemae Cox is WISH’s 23-year-old Creative Director, and has designed a line for Ripples of Change, her five-piece collection ‘Echoes of Waste’ is made from discarded household items such as crisp packets, Coke cans, milk cartons, plastic bags, and dried flowers. Her work aims to prove that fashion is more than fabric and that even the most overlooked items can become bold, wearable statements, while sparking new conversations about sustainability.
Returning for a second year in a row, Donna Roper‘s collection ‘Welcome to Women of a Certain Rage’, is a love letter to midlife, every look made from preloved or repurposed textiles.
Guests can also enjoy live music, drinks, and a professional photoshoot as well as looking forward to the sustainable fashion auction in November to which designers have donated unique pieces that will go under the hammer to support Cherwell Collective’s crucial work.
“Cherwell Collective’s Carbon Cost of Fashion campaign helps everyone understand the impact of producing textiles, and empowers behavioural change through interactive learning and engagement,” Cherwell Collective Founder Dr. Emily Connally explains.
“Ripples of Change plays a vital part and helps everyone understand the impact of producing textiles, while empowering behavioural change through interactive learning and engagement.”
Cherwell Collective’s sustainable fashion show ‘Ripples of Change‘, takes place on Wednesday October 1 at Blenheim Palace. Tickets are available now on Eventbrite. Book here.
