For many, Fashion Week is over, the designers have designed, the models modelled and the articles have been written. But for some, it is far from over. On October 15th, Brighton Fashion Week will commence and the frenzy will start all over again. I have to be completely honest with you, I hadn’t heard of Brighton Fashion Week until last year, and that was after it had actually taken place. So this year I’m making it my mission to go to as many of the events as possible to find out what Brighton Fashion Week is really about.
Brighton Fashion Week is the biggest showcase for new, talented designers outside of the capital. With events ranging from runway shows, industry talks, exhibitions and workshops, I’m going to have a busy few days ahead of me. The Fashion Week has showcased over six hundred new designers since its first ever show six years ago, and there are so many more waiting to show off their incredible talent. One of the more unusual but great things about Brighton Fashion Week is that it aims to highlight the ethical and sustainability issues that
come with societies obsession with a ‘fast fashion fix’. Brighton Fashion Week aims to tell the story of the amount of waste we, as consumers, and the fashion industry produce in attempts to meet our demands for fast fashion. Not only does this lead to an unacceptable amount of waste, but also raises the ongoing issue of the need for fair wages. Brighton Fashion Week are encouraging their designers to create sustainable fashion, and have incorporated sustainable fashion into every aspect of the project, from the workshops to the three main catwalk shows.
“Brighton Fashion Week is the biggest showcase for new, talented designers outside of the capital. With events ranging from runway shows, industry talks, exhibitions and workshops, I’m going to have a busy few days ahead of me. The Fashion Week has showcased over six hundred new designers since its first ever show six years ago”
The events include a workshop by WRAP, a resource efficiency company that includes discussing the future of the fashion industry in terms of sustainable fashion, and shows you how sustainable fashion works currently. The workshop is then followed by a movie screening that contains information on the people working behind the future of sustainable fashion. Another event to watch out for is the ‘Future of Fashion Debate’ taking place that discusses the ethical issues around fashion, and why we, as a society, desire cheaper clothes at the cost of
unsustainable and unethical practices. Another event that would not only be interesting but also beneficial is the all-day event on the Saturday called ‘Love Your Clothes Demonstrations’. The Love Your Clothes campaign have teamed up with Cancer Research UK to bring you a ‘tonne of clothes’ to highlight the sheer amount of clothing we throw away. There will be demonstrations all day showing you how to up-cycle clothes, make alterations and repairs and show you the importance and benefits of second hand clothing.
And finally, I can’t not mention the main catwalk show, the Zeitgeist Catwalk show on Friday evening, showcasing the ‘game-changers’ of the fashion industry. The best thing about this fashion show? All the designers have to demonstrate ethical and sustainable practices before they are allowed to participate in the show. They are also asked to make a pledge towards sustainability. As part of the final catwalk show, Brighton Fashion Week are also showcasing competition winners who have designed ‘wearable art for the human form out of recycled waste’, which sounds both intriguing and amazing. Tickets for all events can be found here as well as more information about the designers and the fashion week itself. I can’t wait!
