An array of fashion and a sea of colour cascaded through De Montfort’s Student Union in the high hopes of raising money for charity and awareness for Cancer. Almost a week later and I am still raving about the Fashion for Cancer event which was held at Level 1 of the SU on the 3rd of November. It’s not every day that you get invited to a charity fashion show, so of course when asked if I was going, I jumped at the chance!
Fashion for Cancer was the creation of none other than De Montfort’s own 20 year-old psychology student, Katie Meadway. She wanted to raise awareness by combining her love for fashion and her determination to help a very good cause.
Katie has always loved fashion, referring to it in an interview as her ‘best friend’. Her family was sadly affected by cancer a few years ago when her older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. She believed that fashion was her ‘saving grace’ whenever she was feeling down or upset and knew for a long while that she wanted to do something that combined her passions. “Something like cancer is so close to so many people so I knew I was on to something to combine the two.”
Seven months in the making saw Katie’s inspirational charity event come to life. Many late nights and several bottles of wine later, Katie, along with the help of some truly great friends, managed to create and execute one of the most successful student events here at DMU.
Katie got in touch with DMU Square Mile, which is the university’s volunteering scheme, which gives students the opportunity to volunteer at projects across Leicester, and to develop their own ideas and projects. In this instance, Katie approached Square Mile with her idea and together they worked to produce the very successful Fashion for Cancer. Amy White, the Projects and Outreach Coordinator said, “Katie has done this by herself. We simply helped her by providing contacts and links that she might not have had.” Amy also commented on the skills that Katie had shown throughout her involvement with the project, highlighting her managerial and communication skills. If you would like to get involved with any of the volunteer projects Square Mile has to offer, you can visit the DMU website for more information.
The event not only helped to raise money and awareness for such a worthy cause, but it also showcased some of the latest talents in the fashion industry – both our own DMU designers, past and present, and some up and coming brands in the fashion world many of whom Katie sourced herself.
The audience, which included Katie’s family, applauded as the catwalk came to life with the vibrant designs. There was a good mix of casual day wear and evening wear. Some of the designs were a little more eccentric than others but it showcased a lot of wearable fashions which are right on trend. It also showed off the incredible talent of the designers.
And the fashion didn’t stop at the catwalk; the whole evening was a celebration of everyone’s diverse individuality and personal style. It was great to see an assortment of different styles and trends all in one, well two rooms, all showing their support for such a deserving cause.
The whole evening had an electric atmosphere with the buzz of excitement as the crowds watched the fashion show and looked around the various stalls. There was even some live music which just added to the ambiance of the evening.
Laura Wilks, a 3rd year Fashion Buying with Marketing student, attended the event because Cancer had too affected her family and she wanted to show her support for the cause. She also felt that it was a good opportunity to meet the designers. “It’s great to get inspiration from them and listen to what they have to say. You don’t often get the chance to speak to actual designers so it was great to learn from them as well”, Laura herself being a great lover of fashion.
Everyone I spoke to at the event couldn’t express more how professional the evening was. It didn’t really feel like it was an event in a Student Union, it felt like it could have been a show at London fashion week! I asked Katie if she would ever consider organising another event like this or consider event managing as a career but she gracefully declined. “I’ve really enjoyed organising the event but I’ve also been really, really stressed so I couldn’t do it as a full time thing.” Katie would, however, like to go into the journalism side of fashion.
Speaking of which, our very own Demon Media team covered all aspects of the event. This was organised by one of the Online Fashion Editors, Ben Walker. Ben, who is a good friend of Katie, was given the task organising all of the coverage for the event. There were photographers taking shots of everything and everyone. There were reporters interviewing the designers and brands, and fashion writer Anna Landi pouncing on people to get their opinions on the event and fashion as a whole. There was even live streaming from Demon TV and a stall of Demon Media members from the paper and FM readily available to help at any time. There really was a great sense of togetherness throughout the whole evening which I know was greatly appreciated by both Ben and Katie.
Fashion for Cancer was a heart warming fashion forward event which showcased the talents of DMU and other young designers, mixed with peoples passion for fashion, and fuelled by one lady’s determination to raise awareness for cancer. It was a pleasure to be at such an event.
You can catch some great reviews fresh from the runway, and some superb street style segments over on the fashion page of the website. You can also check out some interviews with the Brands and Designers too.
