Second-hand but grand! Catwalk to showcase sustainable fashion

Saturday 23 October 2021

Salvation Army volunteers will be transformed into models next month as part of a charity chic catwalk showcasing the best of sustainable fashion.

The ‘Charity Shop Catwalk’ will take place at the Salvation Army’s community café on Minden Street on Tuesday 9 November between 18:00 and 21:00.

This is the first event of its type for the charity - but not for its Community Centre Manager, Emily Smith, who has been sharing her love of second-hand clothes on social media for several years now.

In November 2019, she partnered with Silkworth Lodge Charity Group, Cancer Research, Jersey Hospice Care and Oxfam Jersey for a fashion show powered by local charities at Beresford Street Kitchen last week which helped raise over £1,000.

This time, the event will feature a selection of clothes from the Salvation Army charity shop - from Christmas party outfits to winter workwear, shoes, handbags and winter coats.

“All the clothes modelled on the evening will be available to buy after the show and there will be more rails of clothes, shoes and bags on the evening that those attending can purchase,” Emily said. “Every item of clothing has been donated to our charity shop by islanders and picked for the event by myself.”

In addition to highlighting a series of second-hand outfits, the event will also be a celebration of the work of the volunteers who have joined the Salvation Army through the LifeSkills course at Highlands College and now work in its café and charity shop.

Along with “friends of the charity”, the volunteers will be the ones modelling the different outfits. 

“We have a fantastic relationship with the college and it's great to be able to offer our volunteers a chance to get dressed up and take part in this fun event and give something back to them after they all work so hard for us,” Emily said. 

Pictured: Emily Smith, the Salvation Army’s Community Centre Manager.

There are only 50 tickets for the event and all are available online for free. As Emily explained, the charity chose to keep the event free to ensure it was accessible to all without “financial boundaries”. 

Donation buckets will be dotted around on the evening for anyone wishing to make a donation and support the charity’s community work.

“We are delighted to be able to host this community event and showcase some of the fantastic clothes we get donated to our charity shop,” Emily said. 

“It is so important that islanders understand the importance of buying second-hand clothing and the effects the fashion industry has on our planet. It's also a wonderful opportunity to invite people into our cafe for an event after having to stop everything for a number of months due to the pandemic. We hope it will be a sell-out event and everyone attending will have lots of fun. 

“Our café space acts as a community hub and it's lovely to be able to use it after hours once our cafe has shut. It almost lends itself to the catwalk and if this event is a success we would love to look at opportunities to hold similar events in the future.”