From the first designer on the catwalk, Liverpool John Moores University showed a beautiful display of creativity which, on top of the incredible designs, showcases values of sustainability and inclusivity.
Emily Keogh’s collection starts with a recording in which a female voice introduces the topic of blindness. Her pieces, in solid pantone red, dress the models, who walk on the catwalk holding phones and cameras symbolically pointed at the public.
“My vision may be impaired, but I promise you I have never felt quite so strong”
On the sustainable side of the show, the main highlights were a video that was aimed at sensitising the public on the climate crisis. in the short clip, a model was showed piling up clothes as a symbol of the waste of the fashion industry, while a recorded voice stated “the problem gets worse and worse every day”.
Soon after that, designers Jess Semple and Briar McQue showed their fully sustainable collections. The latter brought to the stage a series of pieces with writings such as “we’re sick of this shit”, that were directed to older generations and signed -Gen Z.
Another impressive collection was sent to the catwalk by Stacey Downey, whose main inspiration was the flower industry, and who created a semi sustainable collection with highly creative pieces that had the models covered from head to toe in greenhouse mesh in the shape of flowers which were facing the ground to symbolise their perishing.
The show was also implemented with another video to highlight the issue of inclusivity for black, gay communities. Following the video, which consisted in a series of interviews with black individuals within the gay communities, the interviewee pointed out their difficulty integrating in other communities, and how the majority of people seems to only be interested in their sexual life rather than in them as unique individuals.
A powerful message of inclusivity was also portrayed in the collections of Nellie Haywood, who, when asked of her collection, told us it’s meant to be “celebrating masculinity in unconventional ways”; and of Lizzie Barnes, whose 70’s inspired collection opens the eyes of the public to new ideas of menswear.
Written by Sara Liberati
Photography by Jade Berry and Becky Louise