Their story, in their words…
I designed a fashion show with ten garments based off different spiritual ideas of the soul to highlight how instead of viewing religion as competing concepts we can gain knowledge and clarity of the self and others through their collective wisdom.
I originally began with an idea of looking at age and the passing of the time, however this developed to become more self reflective of what is at our ‘core’, which led me to become inspired by souls. I used only second hand fabrics so my process was 100% sustainable to reduce waste to the planet. I took inspiration from modern religions such as Islam and Christianity, and some older belief systems such as those within Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt to highlight the importance and knowledge of past traditions as well as current practices. This was also a really amazing way to celebrate the different cultures and religions within my school as many of the models wore garments which corresponded with their own religion.
I was very happy with the outcome; ten of my friends modelled in the show. I had a speaker with music, fairy lights for decoration and all my friends and family, and some of the school community came to the show. Everyone was extremely supportive and the models were amazing. I was very happy with the outcome of my clothes which took three months to make.
One of the hardest challenges was fitting the clothes to the models precisely so I was very proud the clothing not only looked good but could be worn practically. I used many different techniques such as cyanotype printing and drying fabrics with resin which I thought was also really successful as it made the garments unique and really interesting to look at.
I gained so much from this experience. I learnt how to organise an entire fashion show which gave me so much insight into organisation and planning, independence and leadership skills. I am also so much more confident in my sewing skills having gained insight into different printing techniques, overlocking and tailoring techniques; this project has made me improve significantly.
Here’s what Caitlin’s Head of Sixth Form, Miss Speller, said about the event:
‘[This was] quite one of the most impressive things I’ve seen a teenager put together.
She spent the whole summer making all the clothes herself out of upcycled, sustainable material, corralled a huge number of her friends to help with makeup, music, ticketing, photography and modelling; she decorated the room, liaised with a huge number of staff to make it happen logistically, persuaded a friend to lend a large speaker as well as a large crowd to attend (and pay entry), including the Headteacher and the entire Sixth Form team, sought donations at the end, set up a JustGiving page and made a wonderful speech at the end talking about the process but also about the MEF and how it had allowed her to achieve it all. She has also been able to use the show as part of her Art portfolio and university application.
The whole thing really reminded me of what the awards can do and why the foundation exists. I genuinely found myself a bit emotional at the end!’
