Chronicle Summer 2024

42 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

What Are You Wearing? at The North Wall In April, The North Wall produced a head-turning exhibition and thought-provoking events programme about sustainable fashion, titled What Are You Wearing? Conscious fashion choices for a sustainable future .

It is always a delight for Oxfam to support events like these which can help make a real difference in engaging with the community and encouraging conversations about sustainable fashion. The exhibition is beautifully put together and helps showcase how second-hand is not second-best. I have no doubt it will help inspire people to explore the amazing possibilities Michaela Coel, Sienna Miller and Stella Tennant, alongside mannequins specially styled for this show. All outfits were sourced from Oxfam by stylist Bay Garnett, the pioneer of thrifting, and we were delighted to have the support in kind from Oxfam for the exhibition. A display of natural dyes and treated outfits by textile designer Kate Turnbull illustrated vividly how to repurpose pre-loved clothing. The exhibition drew inspiration from Oxfam’s Second Hand September, the national campaign launched in 2019 which encourages people to shop second-hand to reduce waste, take a stance on climate change and create a fairer world for all. The design was also guided by Sixth Form pupils, who advised on a series of ‘looks’ they wished to see styled sustainably, including an outfit which would have been fit for the late Queen! The resulting exhibition included a series of eye-catching Oxfam campaign photographs taken by Tom Craig and featuring models

It is a testament to the team at The North Wall that sustainability was a key consideration throughout the design and delivery of this exhibition, from rescued mannequins to digital-only materials. The accompanying events programme moved beyond style to bring other elements of the fashion industry to the foreground, notably the influence of consumer choice and the environmental and economic impacts. The screening of the documentary Fashion Reimagined showed how designer Amy Powney of cult label Mother of Pearl created a sustainable clothing collection from field to finished garment, illustrating that there is an alternative to mass production and polluting processes. The textiles workshops led by Kate Turnbull gave pupils the opportunity to learn about natural alternatives to chemical dying processes which cause so much environmental damage.

Sienna Miller photographed by Tom Craig for Oxfam's Second Hand September campaign

In an Inspiring People talk, writer Aja Barber shared her perceptions of the endemic injustices in the consumer industries and raised questions about how these might be addressed. The roundtable discussions titled “What Does Sustainability Mean to Us?” with designer Rahemur Rahman and activist Carry Somers alongside Kate Turnbull covered some of the complexities of sustainability in the industry, and gave pupils the opportunity to discuss how we can engage with these in a constructive way. All in all, What Are You Wearing? gave our school community plenty of food for thought, and an awareness that as conscious consumers being stylish does not need to cost the earth.

with pre-loved clothing. LORNA FALLON, DIRECTOR OF RETAIL, OXFAM

Kate Turnbull talks guests through her display at the Private View