Students on our UAL Fashion Diploma pathways are teaming up with Teesside Hospice for their second instalment of Second Hand September, the charity’s seasonal campaign to encourage shoppers to spend sustainably. Following the successful launch of the campaign’s live runway, held at our Newport Road campus last year, students have been tasked once again with bringing second-hand fashion to life, with a pre-loved denim fashion show taking place at the charity’s new superstore in Stockton.
The campaign challenges consumers to say no to buying new clothes for 30 days and instead celebrate the power of second-hand fashion and all things thrifting. The final fashion show will mark a month of sustainable style and celebrate second-hand fashion!
UAL Fashion Diploma student Mary Thomas, who has been working on the styling and communications parts of the project, said, “The main inspiration for the project has been 90s grunge, classic denim and workwear. The brief is focused on creating fashionable looks that are very everyday and wearable, but still cool and casual.”
The students have been split into groups focusing on either the promotional or design side of the project. Mary explains, “There have been seven of us in comms and over 20 in design. For this project, I have definitely learned new skills in communications and gained valuable experience working with a brand and to specific guidelines. Because we are working with a charity, they have requirements that we needed to consider in terms of design and communication. The brief has challenged us to think a lot about the consumer and what they would want to wear.”
The project has also inspired the students’ future career aspirations. Mary commented: “I definitely want to progress into marketing. I have really enjoyed working on styling and doing the photoshoots. Creating content for social media has been so fun. It can be hard because it’s a lot of work, but I’ve really enjoyed it. Working on this brief has allowed me to develop those skills further.”
Reflecting on the sustainable element of the project, she said, “Shopping sustainably is really important. As a consumer, I do use apps like Vinted and shop in charity shops. What I like about working with Teesside Hospice in particular is that it’s a charity that supports Teesside; it benefits our community.”
Fellow student Erin Roberts, who has been working on the design side of the project, said that working on the brief has been “a lot of fun. I love the concept and challenge of redesigning clothing and changing it from something that you wouldn’t necessarily want into something else you’d actually want to wear.”
“It’s interesting because you’re getting inspo from the outfit itself,” commented fellow designer Phoebe Park-Hansen. “I didn’t think a lot about sustainability before, but through this I do now. We have been upcycling everything.”
“It makes me think with my old clothing, instead of chucking it out, what can I do with it?” said Fashion student Lexie Howe. “Working with Teesside Hospice has definitely spread the word and taught us more about sustainable design.”
Lexie said, “Working with Teesside Hospice has been really good. They introduced the brief to us and explained everything to us really clearly.” Reflecting on design, Phoebe said, “Everything we have been designing is super wearable. We aren’t just thinking about our own tastes, but what everyone else would like. We think the final garments are things people can pick up and wear every day.”
Speaking of the fashion show finale taking place at the Teesside Hospice superstore, Erin said, “For this brief, it’s really fun because we know people can actually see the outcome. We are making an actual show that people will see and can react to.”
What to expect at the Second Hand September fashion show
Taking place on Saturday 26 September from 4pm–7pm, students from the Northern School of Art in Middlesbrough will reimagine donated pieces from Teesside Hospice shops, with a strong focus on denim through the eras – styling them into trendy, wearable outfits that prove second-hand doesn’t mean second-best. Every item featured on the runway was once donated by our local community and has been carefully selected to inspire fresh, creative looks.
Plus, known for inspiring thousands to embrace pre-loved fashion, Charity Shop Girl, Jen Graham, will be joining the event for an exclusive meet and greet, live talk and second-hand shopping masterclass.
Here’s what’s included on the night:
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A fashion show featuring one-of-a-kind items styled by students, available to purchase.
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Drinks and canapés on arrival.
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Music.
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Superstore shopping out of hours, where you can purchase reimagined fashion and accessories from our charity shops!
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Tips and tricks on how you can style and repurpose second-hand clothing.
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Rummage raffle and tombola.
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Refreshments and tuck shop.
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A plastic-free, sustainability-first event.
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Disability accessible.
By taking part in Second Hand September, show-goers can make a huge difference in supporting the care the charity provides to people and their families living with a life-limiting illness in Teesside.
Make sure you buy your ticket for the fashion show for a chance to celebrate pre-loved clothing and see how we can transform fashion into new pieces we’ll love and keep forever! Ticket details here.
If you are interested in studying fashion at college level, make sure you check out our UAL Fashion Diploma pathways here.