As a part of Aberdeen Fashion week, a runway was held in partnership with Fashion United and the Fashion Art and Media Awards last Saturday in the Douglas Hotel.
As soon as I walked into the hotel I could feel an intense but exciting atmosphere. As my friend and classmate, Andreea and I were walking through the lobby, I could hear the distant chatter of models and designers preparing for the 2 hour show- the chaos hidden behind a thin wooden door of the changing rooms. As we sat down (unfortunately not in the front row) we watched as the photographers set up their cameras and tripods in plenty of time for the event starting and observed as the room gradually began to fill up. Once everyone had their drinks and were seated, the show began.
There was a lot to see. Despite Aberdeen having a very small fashion scene, a lot of the collections included in the catwalk were extravagant, dramatic and interesting- in both good and bad ways.
The first designer, Wobia, had her collection shown on the runway but wasn’t there to see it due to a delayed flight. This meant that they couldn’t credit the designer at the end of the collection so we got to see that catwalk again at the very end. This was a nice gesture as every other designer got to see their work on the runway and walk along the catwalk with the models at the end of their collection. Her collection was particularly interesting, with some simple pieces like little black dresses but also some more extravagant designs that you would struggle to find occasions for.
Rya’s collection was actually designed by a student at the same university as me. Her range of jewellery was colourful and creative, these pieces were probably designed for coursework. That night must’ve been surreal for her, seeing her work displayed on a catwalk before she has even left university. It was also refreshing to see jewellery on the catwalk since accessories are often underestimated and forgotten about in fashion.
Ulianca’s bodypainting was a particularly scandalous catwalk, with only two models clad in nothing but body paint strutting along the runway. Andreea and I really got talking about how much time and effort must’ve been put into that short catwalk and how brave the young models were to stand in front of all of those people with barely anything covering their bodies.
Susan Anne Petty had a collection of upcycled hats and wedding veils that were shown humorously to “You Can Leave your Hat on” by Tom Jones. This was an interesting collection as upcycled clothing isn’t generally included in fashion shows as it isn’t totally new. It’s great to see people finally acknowledging the benefits to upcycling clothing in the fashion industry, even if it’s only in a local fashion show.
Kiss My Kunst had a very different collection, with a punk and grunge aesthetic that a lot of people might not find appealing. However, I thought their designs stood out because of this and appealed to the younger people in the audience- they were definitely up my alley. Having a fairly niche style being displayed on a catwalk was great to see since they don’t get much representation in high-end fashion.
Considering a last minute change of venue and audio issues at the event, the organisers did their best to provide a good night for everyone attending. It was good to see a diverse range of models as well as meet several photographers at the event. It was a great experience for an aspiring fashion journalist, despite this show being fairly small it gave us an insight into what real catwalks and fashion events are like.
Disclaimer: I only wrote about a handful of the collections included in this fashion show. I wrote about the ones that I personally found most memorable and had something to say about.
Thrifty Mango 