FASHIONISTA’S have been in the sewing room creating sustainable fashion pieces ready for the catwalk.
Solihull College and University Centre design students were challenged to create two pieces of clothing for an eco-friendly fashion show.
The first piece needed to be styled with pieces from local charity shops to support the high street in a time where many are still recovering from the pandemic and the second needed to be a charity shop garment which they have upcycled.
In the spirit of sustainability, the show will use ‘pedal power’ to run the lighting and equipment using energy from static bikes provided by Electric Pedals.
The show, which will support students by counting towards their required 30 hours of work experience, has the potential to become a legacy project for the College.
The College joined forced with Solihull Council and Parrabbola and other organisations to stage the show.
The event will take place in the Red Lion Square at 6:30pm on Friday (November 12) and in Parkgate at 11:30am on Saturday (November 13).
Colin Tonks, inventor and director of Electric Pedals, said: “This event with Solihull College is a great example of how climate education doesn’t need to be serious or preachy, everything we do aims to have fun and community at the heart of it.
“We love collaborating with bright young talents such as the students at Solihull College, and together with Parrabbola we’ve created a fantastic event to show the people of Solihull that renewable and climate-friendly alternatives to fossil fuel and fast fashion are not complicated or inaccessible.”
Councillor Karen Grinsell, deputy leader of Solihull Council and cabinet member for Leisure, Tourism and Sport, said: “The fashion show is part of an initiative by Solihull Council to create a variety of opportunities for local people to engage in different cultural and heritage activities in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games cultural programme.
“It is important to show the residents of our borough the potential of our high street, and that shopping sustainably does not have to be difficult or expensive.
“After a tough period for brick-and-mortar retail, the students of Solihull College are breathing new life into our High Street and once again proving there are plenty of reasons to Visit Shirley.”
