Upcycled Fashion Show celebrates CLC’s creative designers and makers

04 Apr 2016

Cheltenham Ladies’ College’s Upcycled Fashion Show 2016 celebrated the creativity and ingenuity of the College’s designers and makers, with an innovative range of entries made from playing cards, bin bags, old sheet music and much more.

The show opened with an inspiring talk from ethical fashion entrepreneur Giovanna Eastwood, who judged the competition alongside Guild member Sophie O’Kane (a 2013 leaver). Both are directly involved in promoting ethical fashion through Giovanna’s business Ethical Collection.

The event incorporated a Junior House Trashion Competition, where girls worked as a team within their houses to produce garments made entirely from rubbish. There were also over 30 individual entries, which showed an outstanding degree of inventiveness and skill.

The winning individual entries were created by Upper College girls (years 10 and 11) and included a stunning pair of foil trousers with a crazed pattern, inspired by a cracked phone screen, and a 1970s style sheer dress embellished with used party balloons that were skilfully stitched on by hand.

The girls from Junior House Sidney Lodge were victorious for the second year running in the House Trashion category. Their entry was a sculptural creation made from inflated used bin bags and decorated with shards of unwanted CDs.

Generous prizes were provided by Sweaty Betty.