Students take to the runway in Blackheath High School fashion show
Blackheath High School hosts first live fashion show in over two years to showcase the incredible design talent of its students.
Entitled ‘Disrupt’, the show references the disruption faced by students throughout the pandemic. Students were given the opportunity to experience the roles of fashion designers, makeup artists, models and technical support to put on a professional show for teachers, parents and students.
Students from across the senior school showcased their designs, with Year 9 students designing garments in response to the theme of ‘Fears and Phobias’ and Year 11 GCSE students exploring the theme of ‘Beautiful Decay’. Standout outfits drew inspiration from the natural metamorphosis of weathered surfaces and the evolving coastline of Hastings.
Students in Year 12 worked with the theme ‘Fragments’, with notable designs including Bo-Thiel Makenzie’s architecturally inspired graphic prints and laser-cut overlays, providing a wonderful contrast to Eloise Marsh’s delicate print surfaces, fluid lines and crocheted details.
The show closed with catwalks by Year 13 students showcasing their final collections developed as part of their Textiles A Level coursework. Student Flossy Gobey drew inspiration from Retro Futurism while Mabel McLeod took inspiration from skin and bodily forms, using latex and embroidered embellishments to convey visceral forms.
Blackheath High School’s annual show provides an opportunity to showcase students’ outstanding creativity and practical skills in fashion design, many of which undertake Textile GCSE and A Level.
Using the skills attained at the school, many students have gone on to study at world-renowned arts and design college Central St Martins.
Blackheath High School is a member of the Girl’s Day School Trust (GDST) a family of independent schools and academies across England and Wales. It was first established in 1880 as a purpose-built girls school in the heart of Blackheath Village.
The school is compromised of a Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form for girls aged three to eighteen. It is driven by the mission to encourage students to defy gender stereotypes and pursue their own individual passions as part of the school’s extra-curricular activities.
Ms Carol Chandler-Thompson, Head of Blackheath High School, said: “Our fashion show is a staple event in the Blackheath High School calendar every year and it was fantastic to come together to celebrate the extraordinary talent of our girls.
“I am consistently blown away by the passion and creativity of our students, but what I was particularly proud of was how amazingly the girls collaborated with each other to make the show a success. We have a vibrant, creative and supportive community at Blackheath High School and nothing shows it off better than our annual fashion show.”
Eden Chambers, Year 12 student, said: “It was so exciting to collaborate with other students to put this show together and to share my designs. Everyone had the opportunity to try a new skill, from lighting, to performance to makeup artistry and I am really inspired to complete my textiles A-Level with some new ideas.”
www.blackheathhighschool.gdst.net
