Maisie Wilson reflects on Cherwell Collective’s Sustainable Fashion Week success and looks at what comes next.

a group of models in brightly coloured sustainable fashion circle the catwalk. they are in a grand ornate room, with many onlookers.

A collection made by Multaka for Re:Fashion Runway. Photo by Keiko Ikeuchi

Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) returned in September for its fourth year of celebrating the #PowerOfRepair. Spreading out across the UK and beyond, SFW was an explosion of community action, encouraging changes locally to transform fashion globally. As Oxford’s official hub for Sustainable Fashion Week, Cherwell Collective’s ambitious programme of activities reached thousands of people, saved over a tonne of clothes and materials from landfill, and inspired many to rethink their wardrobes.

Read on to discover what we did over SFW 2024–and what we’re doing next! 

A Sustainable Fashion Show with a Difference

Cherwell Collective’s Re:Fashion Show was held in the stunning Orangery at Blenheim Palace on 24 September with resounding success. BBC in the morning’s Sophie Law MCed the event, an inspiring celebration of local innovation and artistry in rethinking materials. 

A huge variety of people contributed work to the show, from local up-and-coming designers working solo to community groups like Iraqi Women Art and War (IWAW), or secondhand heroes like Oxfam. All of the looks on the night consisted exclusively of recycled or upcycled materials.

The outfits displayed on the night diverted 102 kg of material from landfill. 

Catering on the night was provided by the Orangery, whereas models and staff were fed behind the scenes by Cherwell Collective’s Climatarian Kitchen. 

Attendees described the event as “fresh,” “thought-provoking,” and “educational,” while others expressed appreciation for the diversity of models featured.

Barbara McNamara, casting director for the fashion-oriented film The Devil Wears Prada and the iconic TV series Sex and the City, in which women’s wear is featured heavily, spoke with us about the event. 

“It was a really wonderful evening, really fresh and exciting,” McNamara said. I just loved all the energy and enthusiasm, the creativity, and the thinking outside the box when it comes to reinventing fabric and different fashion.”

a group of models in brightly coloured sustainable fashion circle the catwalk. they are in a grand ornate room, with many onlookers.

Oxfam’s line of secondhand fashion for Re:Fashion runway. Photo by Keiko Ikeuchi

Other participants celebrated the energy, innovation, and inclusion of the event.

One participant told us, “I thought it was brilliant. I thought the range of the outfits and designers were well chosen, the clothes were amazing, a really good idea behind it and the thought behind it. Really impressive.”

The event provoked people to think differently about clothing decisions and reinforced existing sustainable fashion practices. 

Take a look at the video above to get a glimpse of the show in action. 

Re-vamping clothes and finding them new homes

As well as our Re:Fashion runway show, we hosted a swap shop at Tap Social that saved 94kg of clothing from landfill. Meanwhile, our partners at SHARE Oxford hosted a clothing repair workshop. 

a man and woman work together on a sewing machine as they repair some jeans.

Fixing jeans at the SHARE repair workshop

The Carbon Cost of Fashion Exhibition

These activities all took place alongside a Carbon Cost of Fashion exhibit at Blenheim Palace’s Stables Cafe on 23-27 September, which highlighted the impact of fashion on our planet. It also presented small, easy steps we can take to live more sustainably. Our exhibition looks at the devastating repercussions of fast fashion through the years but offers hopeful alternatives. People can change their behaviours, and it does make a difference for the planet. We cover topics such as water use in denim production, plastics in our clothing materials, the addictive effects of online shopping, and more. 

Participants are encouraged to touch, feel, and move parts of the exhibition to learn from the experience and find answers to questions. They can also test their knowledge with our fast fashion quiz, or use our handmade selfie booth.

a sustainable fashion exhibition is on display in a brutalist environment

Part of our exhibition on the first stop of the tour including the selfie booth with pledges hanging from a discarded supermarket cage.  Brookes University October 2024

Our exhibition will be on tour for the foreseeable future:

  • St. Mary’s Church, Church Green, Witney, OX28 4AW
    • Friday 25th October – Wednesday 6th November
    • 8:30 am – 6:00 pm 
  • St Anne’s College, 56 Woodstock Rd, OX2 6HS
    • Porters Lodge, Library, and MOLT
    • Monday November 11th – Saturday November 23rd 
  • Over Norton Village Hall, Choicehill Road, OX7 5PP
    • Transition Chipping Norton
    • Friday 29th November 5 pm – 8 pm 

We are touring our exhibition to instill a sense of urgency, hope, and proactiveness in response to fast fashion’s role in the climate crisis. We crafted this exhibition as a team, with our managing director and creative director at the helm, creating many bespoke elements and in-house designs. It was also the work of many fantastic volunteers who were passionate about the climate crisis and what we do here at WISH. 

Please do get in touch with any questions you may have about WISH.