AIU London hosts sustainable student fashion show

AIU (American Intercontinental University) London hosted its last fashion show of the year in Marylebone Gardens.  As the weather was bitterly cold, thankfully the garden is actually an inside space. Named after the 18th Century London pleasure gardens which once stood in the same spot, the old BBC office has been transformed with an indoor lawn where audiences can sit and enjoy pop up theatrical performances, live music and sports screening.  Happily on this occasion, rows of benches were set up around the catwalk But the garden party atmosphere was still there as the champagne flowed and duo band She and I performed live.

AIU’s December shows always contain experimental pieces and for this year it was to stretch the design students’ imagination to create ‘better quality or greater environmental value’ garments from ‘useless products’ or ‘waste materials’. Titled ‘Upcycle’, the design brief for the students was Reduce,  Reuse and Recycle.   Upcycle was then broken down into three themes: Creative Drape, 3D form and Precollections. The Creative Drape project instructed the students to take a blouse and make it into a new top incorporating the paisley fabric provided.

Designs were a collage of recycled fabrics including no longer worn garments, paisley fabric, plastic bags and old newspaper to well worn leather from old sofas and boots.

Sarah Bergman used her own old leather boots to create sleeves bringing an edgy touch to her Creative Drape white cotton gown. Rakayla Robertson was inspired for her 3D Form top by a stack of newspapers found on a bus, not wanting to throw the paper away. She also transforms a sweatshirt into a pair of low crotch harem style pants with the sleeves as the trousers legs. Catherine Calderon removes the sleeves and cuffs from her striped shirt and re-uses them as part of the bottom of her trousers.  Shirt sleeves with the cuffs are also used as trouser legs in Amelie Scharfetter’s dip dyed outfit.

Menswear was included in the show with discarded coffee bags being Zaira Xitlalitc Agular’s choice of fabric.

(Taylor Scopes Upton & Emma Louise Murray)

Award winning designs of the night were:

Taylor Scopes-Upton’s pristine white arctic parka outfit from the Precollections category earning a cash prize from Vilene Freudenberg

Emma Louise Murray’s Creative Drape gown. Recycled plastic bags were glued over the dress fabric giving texture and a pair of embellished white jeans draped around the shoulders as a shawl.

Emma was awarded an internship at Lipsy plus a Lipsy dress.

Inspired by Gareth Pugh, Make up created by the Session Hair was of dramatic white geometric shapes on eyelids and over eyebrows whilst the hair style by Electric Hair was sharp sleeked back pony tails.

Proceeds from the event will go to the FSSA Zambia, funding for Secondary School Assistance in Zambia.

Images provided by AIU London

By Karen Grace

Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky http://www.frumpytofunky.com