On Wednesday, 1 October 2025 our sustainable fashion show, Ripples of Change filled Blenheim Palace with stylish innovation, conversation, and learning. It was the main event for our Oxford Hub of Sustainable Fashion Week programme, and what a show it was!

What is a Sustainable Fashion Show?

You’ve probably heard of the traditional fashion shows by major fashion houses that make the rounds between New York City, London, Milan, and Paris each September. Famous designers show their collections for Spring of the next year, models strut the stage to the latest electronic music, and industry titans and celebrities take their places in the coveted front row to see next year’s wares.  

Following on in the tradition of these events, Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) has become a new part of the fashion show lineup in the transition from September to October. The common thread – if you will – among designers of SFW collections is the use of sustainable techniques and materials. These can include fabrics with natural dyes, the use of odd lots and end pieces to make new clothing, and even the reuse and repurposing of items like ordinary household waste to make new clothing.

With a variety of raw materials diverted from the rubbish bin, Ripples of Change saved an estimated 190kg of waste from landfill. By keeping these items in use as new garments, emissions equivalent to driving a car over 13,000 miles were avoided compared to making them from virgin materials. 

Over 250 community members were involved in the fashion show, with over 75 volunteers over the course of several months. This includes our absolutely amazing designers who spent an incredible amount of time and skill creating collections for the runway.

In this blog post, we’ll take you through the show as if you were experiencing it in person.

The Programme

First, dive in by taking a look through the digital hand programme. This year, we opted for a digital programme as a more eco-friendly alternative to printing a 20-page document for each guest. 

Take a special look at the ‘Meet the Models’ pages. All of our models were local volunteers with varying levels of experience, and were trained by the Runway Academy by Lady Boss Events. We really hoped to show our guests how sustainable fashion is for everybody, of every age and background, through our model selection. If you or someone you know would like to model for next year’s show, please get in touch with carboncostfashion@gmail.com to be added to our contact list.

BBC Radio Oxford’s own Breakfast in the Morning presenter Sophie Law hosted the show for the second year. Although you’ll be missing out on her wonderful commentary, we’ll share highlights below.

And now, on to the main event: the runway! 

Donna Roper – ‘Women of a Certain Rage’

The first designer to take the runway was Donna Roper. Donna is a semi-retired designer who started designing sustainable fashion after 42 years in the automotive industry. She loves giving old materials new life through upcycling and recycling textiles. She enjoys taking part in the fashion show because it keeps her creative, helps her try new things, and pushes her limits.

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

She named her collection ‘Women of a Certain Rage’, inspired by the novel by Georgie Hall. It honours bold individuality and the women who reject invisibility and embrace midlife with fire and humour. It was her second collection for Cherwell Collective’s sustainable fashion shows.

She created five second-hand outfits for the runway. Each piece was paired with a headpiece made by Donna from rescued textiles. Every component of each look was repurposed or preloved.

Follow Donna’s work on Instagram: @donna_roper_designs.

City of Oxford College

Next on the runway were a group of Activate Learning Art and Design students from City of Oxford College. The students created their line after being inspired by their annual project on waste and sustainability. The project has helped these amazing emerging designers build individual artistic identities and reach personal goals. They challenge traditional ideas about design and creativity by exploring the theme of ‘waste.’

Each look is modeled by the student who designed it themselves.

This year, Blenheim Palace kindly donated its old staff uniforms to the College to reduce waste during its rebrand. The students recycled and repurposed these uniforms to create the foundation for their designs. Thank you to Blenheim Palace for such a generous and conscious donation!

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

The students’ fashion line also included a collaboration within the college; hair and makeup for the models was done by the City of Oxford College hairdressing and media makeup students.

Follow them on social media: @activatelearn and @cityofoxfordcollege

Ballroom Emporium

Ballroom Emporium was next on the catwalk, returning for its second year in a row. Since 1984, Ballroom Emporium has championed innovation through vintage fashion with artisans and designers from around the world who share a passion for reducing waste through creativity. This year, the Emporium collaborated with Patricia Jaylee Nypan, a self-taught designer passionate about sustainable fashion and storytelling through clothing.

Their collection featured six pieces. Ballroom Emporium made three looks in-house and sourced vintage materials for Patricia to create three additional designs. Patricia’s looks use antique French linen sheets and a rare bolt of 1970s wool mix that was once used for boating blazers.

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

Their aesthetic draws from the spectacular intersection of the Mod and New Romantic styles. A ballgown from the collection marries an antique suspender girdle with inspired elements drawn from elegant 1930s wedding dresses. Overall, the collection blends historical charm with contemporary cool, showcasing Ballroom Emporium’s unique range of vintage and sustainable fashion.

Follow them on social media: @ballroomemporiumoxford and @Eccentrisha.

Oxfam

Next up on the runway was Oxfam, designed by David Humphrey and Ollie Mead. Oxfam is a global community dedicated to building a kinder, fairer world where everyone has the chance to thrive by tackling the inequalities that fuel poverty.

Our runway featured two Oxfam designers, who together brought over 40 years of experience in visual merchandising and have worked side by side at Oxfam for more than eight years, after holding roles with major retailers such as Topshop and Urban Outfitters. They love working with preloved clothing and have a keen eye for hidden gems like vintage Gaultier or classic Chanel. 

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

Their five-piece collection for Ripples of Change marks Oxfam’s second year partnering with the fashion show. This year’s looks show how you can mix things up, make bold statements, and express individuality while still helping the planet. The collection celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of preloved fashion, showing that sustainable style is empowering and accessible.

Follow them on social media: @oxfamshops and @oxfamoxfordsuperstore.

Imogen Barrow-Starkey

Imogen Barrow-Starkey was next to take her second-ever sustainable fashion runway. Since she was a little girl, Imogen has always loved dressing up and the environment. Today, she balances that love of textiles and design with a full-time job. For her, sustainable fashion means new ideas and fresh thinking. 

She also wants people to see that making, mending, and upcycling clothes is more accessible than most think. Imogen is primarily self-taught. She uses a ten-year-old sewing machine, a second-hand iron, and good fabric shears. These simple tools have helped her through two Sustainable Fashion Shows, and she has no plans to upgrade them soon. She asserts that passion and imagination matter more than fancy equipment.

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

This year, Imogen worked with Oxford United Football Club for her collection. She used imperfect and unsold football merchandise to create high-fashion looks with a sportswear twist. She hopes that her collection highlights the problem of polyester waste in the sportswear industry and shows how creativity can turn waste into beauty.

You can follow Imogen on Instagram & Depop, @textilesgirl, and OUFC at @oufcofficial and @officialouwfc.

Coal and Candy Floss

Coal and Candyfloss presented the next collection, created by Sally Jones. Sally is a graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. After 25 years designing children’s wear for major High Street brands across the UK, Europe, and Asia, she returned to her sewing machine in 2021 to create her own brand, Coal and Candy Floss. Today, she hand-picks vintage and preloved fabrics to make playful, high-quality garments that are creative and individual. 

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

Her five-piece Ripples of Change collection features vintage prints, duvets, and discarded textiles. Sally’s love of colour and graphics shone through in every look. She also designs her own fabric prints, which were also featured in the collection. These are all printed on OEKO-TEX certified cotton poplin here in the UK. Each piece is made to order, made to fit, and made to make you feel fabulous wherever you go.

Follow her colourful creations on Instagram: @coalandcandyfloss

Emily Martinez – ‘Biophoria’

Next in the lineup was Emily Martinez, the only non-local designer in this year’s show. Emily is beginning her final year at the University of Texas and is already making her mark in sustainable fashion. She created plant-waste-based sequins that were featured as part of the ‘Fabric of the Future’ in the Carbon Cost of Fashion exhibition at Blenheim in 2024.

Her collection for Ripples of Change, Biophoria, includes four pieces that explore sustainability through biodegradability and transparency. Every part of the collection – from buttons to threads – is 100% biodegradable. Emily’s goal was to design clothing that would one day return to the earth without causing harm.

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

She used a mix of innovative and traditional techniques to create her work, including shibori fabric manipulation, a Japanese dyeing method that creates intricate patterns, agar bioplastics made from red algae, and 3D-printed molds to shape unique materials. The result is a thoughtful and forward-looking collection that redefines the limits of the fashion industry.

Follow her journey on Instagram: @elmilymily

Rocqu

Next came Rocqu, a designer focused on creating clothing in the most environmentally friendly way possible. He sees his work as a statement of hope which is driven by his belief that there is always a better way. For Rocqu, this goal is more important than profit or practicality. As he began to work in the fashion industry, he was shocked to learn that it is the second-most polluting industry after oil and gas. His designs are inspired by his understanding of the huge impact fashion has on the planet, and show that creativity and care for the planet can coexist.

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

His Ripples of Change collection featured four unique pieces made entirely from leaves. Even organic fabrics need heavy processing, but leaves are raw and untouched. Rocqu uses fallen leaves or ones trimmed from gardens, including his grandmother’s and neighbours’ gardens in Oxfordshire. He works leaf by leaf and stitch by stitch, building textiles that grow into garments. Together, the four pieces use over 7,000 stitches and about 1,000 leaves.

Follow him on Instagram: @rocqu_

Julie Bunn, WISH – ‘Juxtapositionism’

Julie Bunn, a designer for Cherwell Collective’s Waste Innovation Station HQ (WISH) project, is a lifelong creator from Begbroke, just outside Kidlington. Julie is passionate about giving new life to discarded materials that might otherwise end up in landfill. Her work focuses on clever reuse and creative transformation, and turning what others see as waste into something beautiful and useful.

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

Her Ripples of Change collection, ‘Juxtapositionism’, celebrated colour and contrast and the idea of ‘waste’ itself.  The bright yellow fabric once belonged to parasols that were returned to Amazon and destined for landfill. The designs on white fabric were made by robots built by children during the Science Wonder programme (pictured below), a partnership between Oxford University Development, Begbroke Science Park, and Cherwell Collective. 

Julie wants others to pause before throwing something away, asking whether the item can be reused, repaired, or passed on instead. She dreams of a circular crafting economy and loves teaching others how to reduce waste while building creativity at WISH. She hopes that one day, the word ‘waste’ will be replaced by ‘usable material.’ 

Julie also designed the photobooth in the VIP Reception and is a commissioned artist known for creating unique pieces, including the famous unicorn hat worn by children’s entertainer Nick Cope.

Mollemae Cox, WISH – ‘Echoes of Waste’

The runway show’s final collection was presented by designer Molliemae Cox, the Creative Director at WISH. She is 23 and Oxford-born and bred. 

Her five-piece collection ‘Echoes of Waste’ aimed to shift perspective and help people to question what ‘waste’ really means. She wants people to feel inspired by the potential of discarded items; each of her garments is made from household waste, including crisp packets, Coke cans, milk cartons, plastic bags, and dried flowers.

All of Molliemae’s looks will go to auction on 15 November, you can join in-person or online for the chance to take one home!

_{Photos by Wilson-Cook Photography.}

The plastic bag wedding dress reused over 7 kg of plastic crate liners left over from online fast-fashion shopping orders during the pandemic. These trendy styles quickly went out of fashion, leaving thousands of textiles in surplus circulation. 

Molliemae’s final piece was made from thousands of plants that were destined for landfill and a quinciñera dress. The flowers were collected over the last six months from Cherwell Larder. Because 50% of flowers produced globally are wasted, and because most quinciñera dresses are worn once and discarded, this final look triumphantly challenges the concept of waste. This single outfit repurposed waste that would have created over 1,300 car miles of carbon footprint.

Follow Molliemae on Instagram: @molliemae_cox and @cherwellcollective.

What People Had to Say

Our Collective Thoughts spoke with guests at the end of the show.  One guest exclaimed that the show was ‘extremely good. All the designers showed amazing design, imagination, and creativity.’

Another guest told us, ‘The event was so inspiring.’

Callum Miller, local MP for Bicester and Woodstock, joined Ripples of Change as a VIP guest. He told us, ‘I’m really delighted to be here – it’s my first opportunity to support this event, and the idea of sustainable fashion is one that has a real home here in Oxfordshire, where we have so many fantastic creatives but also so many people who care about the future of our planet.’

Deputy Lieutenant Robert Buckledee, who was also in attendance, shared his own thoughts: ‘His majesty has a number of priorities for his reign, and the environment and sustainability of our planet is clearly right up there. Events like this, driving innovation into fashion and sustainability into fashion, really play very strongly into his agenda, and the lieutenancy is delighted to support this event in its 2nd year.’

Meanwhile, the event emcee, BBC’s Sophie Law, shared her analysis.  ‘We’ve been sparking some conversations on air and talking about how much waste there is, how much water it takes to make one pair of jeans. It’s all that kind of stuff that just makes you really think twice about what you’re buying and what’s in your wardrobe.’ 

A Thank You from Cherwell Collective

Our show was supported by some really incredible organisations that donated in-kind to help us produce the show. Thank you to Oxford Food Hub, Kelly’s Hair Oxford, The Teff Cake Company, Avon representative Deborah Weller, and HARE Studio for your support.

We are also enormously grateful to our Cherwell Collective volunteers who helped with organisation, hairstyling, and ushering for the show.

A massive thank you also goes out to the models, who gave their time to attend fittings, catwalk trainings, and the fashion show itself. And thank you to The Runway Academy by Lady Boss Events for volunteering on the night of the show and for training our models.

And of course, to the designers: thank you so much for being a part of Ripples of Change. We have loved celebrating your innovation, and we are so grateful for your incredible commitment to making sustainable fashion known in Oxfordshire.

What’s Next for our Fashion Campaign

Exhibit

Directly following the fashion show, our Carbon Cost of Fashion exhibit made its way to the  Oxford Town Hall Museum of Oxford gallery to finish off Sustainable Fashion Week. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get data on how many people visited, but we loved stopping by and seeing people browsing and learning from the interactive exhibition. 

We love to bring our travelling exhibits to new spaces! Please get in touch to learn more.

Auction

On 15 November, showstopping pieces donated from Ripples of Change designers will go to auction at JS Fine Art. All proceeds will support Cherwell Collective’s ongoing work to empower the community to build a circular economy in Oxfordshire. Join the auction online or in person, and search ‘Cherwell Collective Sustainable Fashion Show Auction’ for more details.

2026 Sustainable Fashion Show

We’re hitting the ground running for the 2026 show. A general application for models, designers, and volunteers will open soon. We are also seeking sponsors (for both financial and in-kind donations) to support the show. 

Please drop us a line at carboncostfashion@gmail.com if you’d like to be involved, and we’ll add you to our email list. You can also follow us on Eventbrite if you’d like to be notified when we release tickets for the 2026 sustainable fashion show.

See you at next year’s show!