MCS celebrates sustainability at Slow Fashion Show

Last night, the Charities Committee and Environmental Society joined forces for MCS’s first ever Slow Fashion Show in aid of Mustardseed Junior School and Oxford Samaritans. Celebrating alternatives to fast fashion such as borrowing, buying second-hand and mending, the event started with a fascinating interview with two OWs in the world of fashion — Ed Walsh (OW 1999) and Zac McGarry (OW 2019). Ed spoke about his career path before entering the fashion industry, working in financial services as a broker before joining jewellery firm Alice Made This in 2014. Zac talked about his time studying at Central St Martin, and has since been featured in Vogue’s 9 Names To Know From CSM’s Class Of 2024. Both emphasized the idea of choosing ‘quality over quantity’, suggesting that investing in well-made pieces will fill your wardrobe with ‘jewels’, much like precious metals and stones in your jewellery box.

Afterwards, Kay Clark, a clothing repair artist from TOAST, showed us examples of clothing that had been beautifully repaired using darning and sashimi techniques that we can all learn at home. She showed us that mended clothes can be even more beautiful than the originals.

Then, the spotlight turned to the catwalk as pupils modelled outfits using clothes generously donated by the MCS community. Each houseroom curated their outfits to a different theme, such as ‘A Wilkinson Winter’ and Walker-Dunn’s ‘2010s Fashion’. The staff had their turn too, with some familiar faces walking, strutting and cartwheeling down the Big School runway.

Bringing proceedings to a close, a Slow Fashion Show Quiz highlighted some of the key issues in the fast fashion world and gave the audience the opportunity to vote for their favourite curation of outfits. A thrift shop was set up at the back of the hall, offering the opportunity for attendees to bag a bargain and bolster the funds raised for the chosen charities. Any surplus clothes were then donated to Tyndale Community School for their appeal for donations to send in support of Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa.