Fashion Soc x LGBTQ+ Soc Fashion Show

Coinciding with Fashion Month, societies from the University of Manchester decided to organise their own charity fashion show last week, which was a huge success!

Fashion society and LGBTQ+ society worked together to hold their very own fashion show last Tuesday. The theme was ‘Queer Expression’ and showcased donated clothing as well as garments and jewellery from local designers, and the makeup was done by the UOM Makeup Society. All profits raised were donated to the Proud Trust: a charity that provides “education, support & advocacy for LGBTQ+ young people and their communities.” So, for those of you who missed the event, don’t worry you can read all about it in my account.

As President of the Makeup Society and a content creator for Fuse TV, I was at Academy 2 a few hours before the event.

Academy 2 was turned into a catwalk, with horizontal rows of seating creating a runway down the middle. A handmade collage with headshots of models, designers, and organisers was stuck on one of the walls, and flowers sat in glass bottles on a table at the back. Pride flags and carnations lay on the chairs for front-row admission guests. The room was swathed in purple light and had a gentle haze from the smoke machine, creating a somewhat gothic-meets-Midsommar vibe with the flowers. Claire and the Neighbourhood played in the background.

Once the audience had time to grab drinks and get seated, it was time for the night to start. The models walked out with confidence and professionalism, sporting everything from handmade crochet tops and trousers, an open-back blazer, hand-printed up-cycled tote bags, and fabulous dresses. My personal favourite was a handcrafted blazer with pins, patches, and badges, reading ‘Love is a Revolution’ on the back. There were necklaces, earrings, and waist beads made by one of the models and designers (@plumwingdesigns) which tied all the looks together beautifully.

Organisers from Fashion and LGBTQ+ society, Anou and Tyler, respectively, closed with a short but sweet speech about the show and the Proud trust charity before the auction began.

Most of the pieces showcased on the runway were available for bidding during the auction. The profits from the garments and jewellery would go to the Proud trust and money from drinks bought at the Academy 2 bar was used to fund the tech team for the event. There was a mad frenzy as people chatted to models and designers, and queued up for bidding. I bought two pairs of earrings which I’m very happy with, and my friends bought a range of clothing items. Whilst this was ensuing, Torture from Torture and the Desert Spiders played live music for the audience which was beautiful.

Overall, the fashion show seemed to be a huge success. It was lovely to be part of such a collaborative and positive experience. For a full list of designers for the show, see Fashion society’s posts here and for more photos check out @lozzamedia.