Blenheim Palace hosts sustainable runway fashion show

A sustainable runway fashion show is highlighting the challenges faced by the industry to be more green.

The event in Blenheim Palace’s historic Orangery in Oxfordshire will feature more than 20 local designers.

Among those taking part is Oxford-based charity Oxfam, as part of its Second Hand September campaign, that highlights the availability of preloved clothing as an alternative to fast fashion.

CEO Halima Begum called it their “the most exciting time of the year”.

The event on 24 September is being organised by the Cherwell Collective, director and founder Dr Emily Connally said Blenheim Palace had been “excited and very supportive” of its inaugural runway show, called Re:Fashion.

Dr Connally described the pieces as “absolutely magical”.

“I brought some innovative plant-based plastic sequins over from Texas for this purpose,” she said.

“There are some great things that never would have been featured on this side of the Atlantic before.

“People will be able to see, feel and touch them for the first time and break down the myths around sustainable fashion.”

The event takes place during Oxfam’s sixth Second Hand September that is focusing on fashion’s impact on the planet’s water resources and raising awareness of how shopping choices can dramatically reduce this.

Ms Begum said Oxfam had been noticing a trend in people being interested in “making sustainable choices, looking around, shopping ethically”.

“You can get second-hand, pre-loved, really stylish clothes or goods, and it seems to be where a new generation are heading,” she added.

“If we can make a choice that also helps the planet and thinks about our carbon footprint across the world, that’s a win-win for us.”

She added that the aim was also to “help secure marginalised communities who are living across the world” such as those affected by the floods in several Asian countries.

Ms Begum explained that buying a second hand pair of jeans meant “pretty much saving 20,000 bottles of water”, that would be used in making a new pair of jeans.

“So we are saving the planet and also making a sustainable fashion choice”.