Blenheim Palace in the UK is hosting an innovative fashion show with all clothes designed from items that might otherwise have been destined for landfill – ranging from old videotapes to recycled hairdressers’ towels.
Up-and-coming designers have created clothes that include: a corset made from Christmas ribbons; a dress made from reels of crocheted VHS tapes; gloves made from Stella McCartney shoes, and a dress made from discarded equine equipment and plumbing hardware.
The thought-provoking event has been organised as part of Sustainable Fashion Week to highlight the hidden impact of fashion on the planet.
Dr Emily Connally is founder of the Cherwell Collective – a community organisation with a £1 million National Lottery grant – the driving force behind the fashion show.
“82% of fashion currently ends up in landfill or incinerated – there are piles of clothes that can be seen from space. Many people wear clothes only two or three times before they buy something else. You can instead make the choice to share swap or repair clothes or buy in surplus shops. If everyone was to wear their clothes twice as often, we could cut carbon emissions dramatically,” she said.
Diverse cultural groups are collaborating for the event including Iraqi Women Art and War (IWAW), OXFAM, Oxford University’s international philanthropic organisation Multaka, and City of Oxford College, as well as emerging and award-winning fashion designers.
Designer Molliemae Cox (22), who has crocheted a dress made from VHS and cassette tapes, for the show, said: “I wound up the tapes into little balls before I crocheted the bodice and sleeves. People are quick to throw things away: they forget that can reuse things and give them a new life.”
Blenheim is the stately home of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, providing a majestic setting for iconic fashion collections from designers such as Christian Dior and Yves St Laurent over the years.
Guests to the fashion show have all been encouraged to ‘dress to progress’ and wear second-hand or redesigned clothes.
The runway fashion show, due to be held on Tuesday 24 September, is supported by a week-long exhibition from 23 to 27 September at Blenheim Palace exploring The Carbon Cost of Fashion.
DATES & TIMES:
Re-Fashion Runway and Award Ceremony: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK – 7.30pm, 24thSeptember 2024 (sold out)
The Carbon Cost of Fashion exhibition – 10am-5pm, 23-27 September, The Stables, Blenheim Palace, UK (free with any valid Blenheim Palace ticket or annual pass).