Free your Fashion
Sussex Students Union have put on a hugely successful fashion show to promote the mentality of thinking before you buy amongst their peers
Rebecca Howarth, Sussex University’s Students Union Environmental Society chair reports:
Sussex Students Union’s Fairtrade Fashion Show
‘FREE YOUR FASHION; The Fair Trade Fashion Show’ was the brainchild of a few Sussex students keen to promote the mentality of thinking before you buy amongst their peers. With the increasing momentum of Sussex’s Eco-Uni policy, and growing enthusiasm for ethical and green shopping, the timing couldn’t be better.
The joint effort between the Student Union’s Environmental Society and RAG, took place of Tuesday 12 June, and 20 keen, confident students modelled Fairtrade, organic and recycled clothing from 6 different suppliers. The spacious students union common room was transformed into a scene from the clothes show with a runway, staging and lighting!
Many people and groups volunteered their time, effort and stock, without pay and this wouldn’t have been possible without them. Saks Hair and Beauty did the hair for the models, URF (University Radio Falmer) did the DJ-ing, the Union bars lent staging and clothes rails, Beauty Without Cruelty have provided make-up, and all models and helpers were volunteering students! The clothes modeled were from Traid, Love That Stuff, Bazaar, The Hemp Trading Company and the Environmental Justice Campaign’s ‘Save the Future’ t-shirts. There will also be accessories from various other suppliers. All companies trade fairly with their suppliers, providing top quality goods, at a reasonable price to their customer. Some are even recycled, second hand or organic.
Sussex Students Union’s Fairtrade Fashion Show
The student union’s President Dan Glass and student Becca Martin were commentating for the evening. Dan says of the event:
“‘Free you Fashion’ is a fantastic demonstration of how students at Sussex University are so conscious of ethical and environmental decisions that need to be made, and the high profile that Fairtrade and organic goods have on campus. Sussex University is set to achieve Fairtrade status by this summer, and this reflects the pace at which the uni is moving forward since the ‘Eco-Uni’ motion was voted in at the 2005 Annual General Meeting. Lots of positive changes have been made in the last year, but there is still a way to go. ‘Free your Fashion’ is once again raising the profile of such important issues.”
The key range for the evening was the USSU’s first range of Fairtrade hoodies and t-shirts. In accordance with the new ‘Eco-Uni’ policy, the students union have been looking into a new range of Fairtrade or organically made clothing for students, to sell in union shops.
John Houlihan, Commercial Services Manager for the Students Union, welcomed the initiative and the students’ increasing commitment to raising awareness of Fairtrade. Congratulating the Environmental, RAG and Trade-Fair Societies for all their hard work in putting together such a great and entertaining show, he said that
“given the Students’ Union is currently leading on a bid to achieve Fairtrade Status for Sussex, this was exactly the kind of event the Union would want to promote and I will be liaising with the organisers to assist in a sponsorship role, to make next year’s show an even greater success.”
Sussex Students Union’s Fairtrade Fashion Show
Entertainment for the night came in the form of the union’s own breakdancers and Petra Kjell from the Environmental Justice Campaign speaking about the injustices in the world of retail, and how we can make a difference by choosing the products we buy. One lucky spectator won a ‘Save the Future’ t-shirt as modeled by Lily Cole in London’s Fashion week. After the catwalking, there was browsing so students and staff alike could buy anything they saw they liked.
There is a real message of consciousness behind the organized evening. We all know there is social injustice within the clothing trade, and we need to stop pretending it isn’t fuelled by us. The grassroots movement on campus right now shows how students can make a real positive difference, and to start with a fun fashion show showed how Fairtrade can be cool and affordable for everyone too.