I recently had the pleasure of attending the Sustainable Fashion Show at Blenheim Palace. It was such an inspiring evening and a brilliant example of how sustainability and style can go hand in hand.
Held in the Orangery at Blenheim Palace as part of Sustainable Fashion Week, the event was organised by Oxfordshire-based Cherwell Collective and is now in its third year.
What I particularly loved was that this wasn’t simply a traditional fashion show. It brought together emerging designers, technology, the local community and a genuine desire to rethink our relationship with clothes.
Giving emerging designers a platform
Cherwell Collective was founded by Dr Emily Connally, with the event providing a platform for local and emerging talent to showcase their work in the incredible setting of Blenheim Palace, a venue that has previously hosted fashion names including Dior and Vivienne Westwood.
The inclusivity continues onto the catwalk itself. Rather than a conventional model line-up, the show features volunteer models from the local community, representing different ages, shapes and sizes.
For me, that’s exactly what fashion should be about. Style isn’t reserved for one age, one body shape or one type of person.
A runway with a difference
The show brought together more than 70 looks from over 10 designers, with collections using rescued, upcycled and pre-loved materials.
What struck me was the creativity behind it. This wasn’t sustainable fashion presented as a compromise. Designers were taking materials that might otherwise have been discarded and turning them into something worthy of a runway at Blenheim Palace.
One of the evening’s most unusual features was the appearance of the wonderfully named “bot-terflies.”
Created by Oxfordshire technology business Tilde Industries, the robotic butterflies were made using old electronics, with wings cut from waste materials. They appeared as part of Cherwell Collective’s debut Fashionhouse collection, designed by Naomi Bridges and Karen Simson, bringing fashion, technology and circular design together in a really interesting way.
The show also forms part of Cherwell Collective’s wider Carbon Cost of Fashion campaign, which aims to make the environmental impact of our clothing choices easier to understand.
For me, the message of the evening was really simple. Sustainable fashion isn’t just about buying less. It’s also about seeing the value in what we already own and finding creative ways to keep clothes and materials in use for longer.
Shopping my own wardrobe for Blenheim
Of course, I also had to decide what to wear.
For an event centred around sustainable fashion, buying an entirely new outfit somehow didn’t feel right. Instead, I shopped my own wardrobe.
I chose my Roksanda jumpsuit, a piece I originally wore when I appeared on The Apprentice: You’re Fired in 2016.
Ten years later, I brought it back out and styled it with a Reiss jacket, Valentino heels, Dior earrings and ring, a Chanel bag and Mulberry bracelet.
And I loved wearing it just as much this time around.
It was a reminder of something I think we can easily forget when we’re constantly seeing new fashion. A great piece doesn’t stop being great because you’ve worn it before.
Rethinking what sustainable style looks like
I’m currently studying Personal Styling at London College of Fashion alongside building the fashion and style side of my personal brand, and I’m finding myself looking at clothes in a completely different way.
I still love discovering new pieces, from brilliant high-street finds to beautiful investment buys, but I’m also increasingly interested in how we can shop more thoughtfully, rediscover what we already own and create new outfits from pieces that have been sitting in our wardrobes.
That’s what I loved about this event. Sustainable fashion doesn’t have to mean compromising on style. It can mean buying better, wearing things for longer, shopping pre-loved, supporting emerging designers and simply getting more creative with what we already have.
My Roksanda jumpsuit has been part of my wardrobe for ten years. Hopefully, it’ll still be making an appearance in another ten.
Michelle x
