From classroom to front row: Teacher set for London Fashion Week
A drama teacher from Sudbury, Suffolk, has won front row tickets to one of the biggest opening shows at this year's London Fashion Week - Oxfam’s Style for Change. The event is a highlight of Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign, which champions sustainable fashion and challenges the fast fashion industry’s environmental toll.
Kirsty, 56, is attending the show with her husband Paul and is a long-time advocate for pre-loved fashion. A regular shopper in Oxfam stores and online second-hand marketplace Vinted, she entered the competition because of her passion for reusing and repurposing clothing.
“I’m really excited about winning, it’s something completely different for me to attend a fashion show,” said Kirsty. “I’m looking forward to the whole experience and seeing how the clothes have been styled.”
Kirsty’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond her wardrobe. She recently involved her students at in a ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ school fashion show using clothes sourced from her local Oxfam shop. The children were thrilled to hear about her win, as she said: “We ran our own second-hand fashion show at school last year, so the students were really excited for me. It’s a great way to show them that reusing clothes can be creative, fashionable, and fun.”
The Style for Change catwalk show in partnership with Vinted, is set to electrify London Fashion Week with bold styling and a powerful message: fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth. As part of Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign, the show aims to spotlight the environmental impact of fast fashion and encourage consumers to rethink their shopping habits.
Strutting on the catwalk are chart topping singer Sam Ryder, Paralympian Kadeena Cox, and activist and model Munroe Bergdorf, alongside a line-up of celebrities, showcasing stunning looks styled entirely from pre-loved clothing, proving that what you wear has power on the biggest fashion stage.
Launched in 2019, Second Hand September inspires people to donate, buy second-hand, and make more sustainable choices – not just in September, but year-round. Oxfam is calling on everyone to join the movement by embracing second-hand fashion, donating unwanted clothes, and spreading the message online. The initiative is calling on people across Suffolk to shop pre-loved and donate any clothes they no longer need or wear to help support Oxfam’s life-changing work.