On Sunday 1st September I attended the London
Mela with Oxfam to take part in the celebration inspired by South Asian
culture.
As well as raising awareness of current campaigns, Oxfam’s
main event was a trio of Fashion Shows throughout the afternoon which showcased
creations and outfit selections from designer and creative
Neishaa Gharat.
Neishaa sourced unique and original items from Oxfam’s
Batley Wastesaver and Milton Point hub as well as a number of shops to style
eight different looks for the show. This included a sequence of her own designs
and a selection of upcycled pieces.
In the run up to the event, as part of team fash, I visited
Oxfam’s Milton Point logisitics centre to help prepare for the show along with
Oxfam Fashion blogger Laila Bowman. Meeting with the lovely
Neishaa, we steamed
the clothes, helped put them into sequence in line with her creative vision and
styling with accessories and layers.
Venturing down to the big smoke on the Saturday, it was a
busy day meeting the gorgeous
TMP models, fitting outfits, altering the sequence and
practicing the walks. Neeru Bhandari of
Laviva events coordinated the event taking charge of the
models and choreography to put on a spectacular event. It was exciting to see everyone’s
hard work over the last few months formulating into the real thing.
Waking early on the day we made our way to Gunnersby Park
where the site’s structures were gradually emerging.
With a morning or
briefings and rehearsals it was soon time for models to move into hair and
make-up which were provided by
Lubna Rafiq.
It was fantastic to be part of an event which channelled such
an incredible energy, working with passionate people and producing a
professional and exhilarating runway show.
Massive shout out to everyone involved! Neishaa for her
creativity; Kalyani (Oxfam’s UK South Asia Engagement Manager) for being a
superwoman; The ACE behind the scenes crew including my fellow team fash-ers Kelly,
Emma and Teresa!
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