The reason I want to follow the path of the catwalk.
Putting on a fashion show isn’t an easy task even for a team of professionals. In June 2018 when I took on the challenge of directing, producing, and coordinating an entire show with the aim of raising as much money as possible for the children’s charity Break it’s fair to say it opened my eyes to just how stressful this industry can be.
As my first blog post I wanted to share the event that triggered my excitement for a future in this fast paced environment. Having just started my A Levels, when taking on this event, it’s fair to say I had to be excellent at time management to make sure neither got in the way of each other. I decided pretty early on in the year I wanted my show to be a fun celebration of high street brands, with a playful playlist of new releases and throwbacks. My aim being to not only suit the labels, but also to get that nostalgic feeling throughout the audience. The show also included a feature start up independent designer who began her Aestheitc Laundry brand locally and moved to London to develop it further.
Six months on and I’d single handedly managed to pull together a mix of eleven mens and womens wear labels ranging from vintage to race day glam, sports wear and to recycled newspapers to adorn the catwalk. With the models, DJ, venue, hair and makeup, lighting and fittings all arranged and tickets soon to be on sale, the next task on the checklist was the promotion shoot. This in itself was no mean feat; with a budget of zero pounds and a very strict brief to stick to, the outcomes surprised even me.
As the event drew closer, I began to think about alternative and possibly more unusual ways of displaying some of the labels. I wanted more of a performance rather than a catwalk, which meant involving a professional choreographer and full cast rehearsals. I felt this style of production would display the clothes in a way that hints more towards how they would be worn in situ as well as visually making a much more powerful statement.
The final aspect to consider was the hair and makeup for the show; having chosen a playful upbeat soundtrack I wanted this to be reflected in the styling so went for a trio of quite urban bouncy styles paired with a glam but quite natural makeup look. This allowed the focus to really be on the garments and how they move.
Finally the big day itself taught me a lot not only about myself, but also how to lead a pretty sizeable team on a tight time schedule. Rehearsals were intense, and appointments were back to back, but somehow when the music started the show had to go on. And it did, with a bang!
Thankfully the show was a huge success and ended up raising thousands for a great cause. As well as teaching me so much about how to approach brand, I also learnt to be a leading member of a team, meet deadlines, time management, direction, choreography, the list is endless. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to put on this scale of event at such a young age. It’s an experience that will stick with me and has helped me finalise this as the path I really want to follow.
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