Bristol fashion designer used discarded festival tents to make Fashion Week dress
A fashion designer who created a dress from discarded festival tents has seen her creation walk at London Fashion Week.
Alice Bowen-Churchill, from Bristol, said making the green and blue gown that took centre stage on Oxfam's Style for Change catwalk on opening night was a "dream come true".
The dress was made entirely from two tents and a second-hand anorak jacket left behind at festivals across the UK last summer, including Glastonbury.
It included everything from the guy ropes, hooks and rings and took nearly a month to make.
Modelled by Eunice Olumide MBE, it was designed to highlight the need for a more sustainable approach to fashion.
Glastonbury festival goers were also invited to sew messages into the lining.
Alice told ITV West Country: "I've been working with Oxfam for the past few years on a few different projects at festivals.
"Having gone to festivals for many many years I know how much waste there is - and because of the tents left at the end.
"I had this idea - I knew the warehouse had lots of waste product that could be used so I asked them to collect me some tents that I could then put together to create something else.
“Using tent material to create the dress was key to help people think differently about waste, and what it could actually be used for – and see how something that might be rubbish can actually be used for positive change.
"Conversation is absolutely fundamental to starting change."
Seeing her tent dress as the opening look of the show, Alice added: “It was like a dream come true. I felt so proud and excited about what we had achieved. It felt like such a special event to be part of."
The show - which called for people to ‘Dress for the world they want, for everyone, everywhere’ – was part of Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign, to encourage people to shop second-hand and strive for a more sustainable fashion industry.
Other celebrities who made an appearance in the show included Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden, The Umbrella Academy actor Robert Sheehan, Saturday’s singer Frankie Bridge, fashion designer Katharine Hamnett and Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni.
Eunice Olumide, who modelled the dress, said: “Given the enormous impact of the fashion industry on our planet, we need to work together to style ourselves for change to make the world a better, more sustainable place.
"We have a chance to make a real difference by stepping away from over-consumption and learning to reuse and appreciate the clothes we have that are already in existence."