Oxford's oldest student newspaper

Independent since 1920

The Campaign: Fashion Relief

Fashion Relief, like many great Oxford innovations, was borne of an essay crisis. Sarah Fan and I, now two of the charity’s trustees, had just been involved with organizing the Northern Lights Fashion Show, which had seen great success.The thought that occurred to us was, what if student fashion was used for charity on a grand scale, even on a national scale? Thus the idea for Fashion Relief was born.

The Fashion Relief Committee recognizes that fashion as it currently stands is a very flawed industry. Fashion as a lifestyle is seen as vapid and meaningless, while the fashion industry is a colossal money-making machine plagued by a devotion to promoting extremes of unhealthy body size and image, as well as extortion of cheap labour. The link between the inherently flawed culture of fashion and charity is difficult for many to comprehend.

But student fashion can be a powerful force for good. The St Andrews Charity Fashion Show raised £28,000 this year alone. Fashion Relief, despite being a month-old charity, has representatives in around 10 universities across the UK, all at the ready to launch their own unique charity fashion shows on the same night in November. These fashion shows will follow the example set by Comic Relief and Sport Relief in trying to bring thousands of students together on one night for the same cause, and under the same banner.

Not only do we believe that this raft of fashion shows will become a source of fundraising for charities who desperately need the support, but we also believe that Fashion Relief can become a platform to challenge the status quo of the fashion industry itself. Sizeism and the mental and physical health issues that go with it are serious issues within the current fashion community, which is why Fashion Relief will enforce a minimum BMI requirement for its models across the UK.

The poverty caused by Western clothing companies exploting cheap labour in the developing world is an issue that has been raised time and time again. Fashion Relief is looking into UK-based charities that are tackling this cause head-on, encouraging businesses to trade ethically, and exhorting customers to care about what they wear on their backs.

As a fledgling charity, of course we’ve encountered setbacks. But with a 30-strong committee in Oxford alone, and many enthusiastic advocates across the country, we believe that Fashion Relief can become a real force for good. Shifting fashion from something negative to something worthwhile is actually achievable if we put our minds to the task. Showing that students care, that students can put their organizational skills to good use, is vital for making this change.

In the coming months we face some daunting challenges. Our website is in the works and our team busy preparing a national strategy as well as finding leads in other universities. But Fashion Relief is gaining momentum, so watch this space.

To find out more and get the latest updates from Fashion Relief, like our page on Facebook.

Check out our other content

Most Popular Articles