Leeds RAG Fashion Show: Meet the models

It’s the evening of The RAG Fashion Show rehearsal. Music guided me to a room, filled with fur coats, high heels and marker pens (as reference points on the floor). The RAG Fashion Show has been awarded ‘Event of the Year’ five times, and is guaranteed to be the epitome of the Leeds social calendar for all fashion lovers. The show is run by a team of students, and what makes it even better is that the money raised goes to charity. Now is your time to get to know the models, and the Assistant Director, before they take to the catwalk on the most fashionable night Leeds has to offer.

Ola

Photograph from Instagram- @olaakinade

Is this your first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking in the ‘Event of the Year’ for the first time?

I have walked in the RAG Fashion Show before. My favourite memory has to be from last year’s show, when I wore a fishnet crop top and I only found out the day before!

Who is your inspiration?

Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, and let’s hit up A$AP Rocky. This is 100% because of their personality and how they transfer it through their style.

What advice would you give to someone who has been inspired by the fashion in the show and wants to become more confident with new styles? 

For me, I would say, try different textures in lots of different apparel because the texture can completely change a colour around. You should not care what people think of what you’re wearing in the library, you can become a trendsetter when you are confident and try something different.

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out?
I have two styles, depending on where I go. If it is a heavy music orientated night like Mint, I go all black, but then wear a long chain or jewellery. For a night like Canal Mills though I go all out colour. I love to test out my creative flare, it is like going back to being a child, I am raising my inner freakiness.

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the Fashion Show?

The main thing I want to do is test out new styles and work out which colour pallets work well, the fashion show is a great opportunity to do this.

Fazrina

Photograph from Fazrina’s Facebook

Is this your first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking in the ‘Event of the Year’ for the first time?

Yes, it is my first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show. I am looking forward to the experience of being in the fashion industry because I have had a strong interest in it since I was very young. In my country, it is hard to get into fashion, so this is a great opportunity.

Who is your inspiration?

I have been inspired by Asian supermodels, especially the Korean industry because of their creative style.

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles?

Just go for it! Style knows no gender, so if you really like something, then you should wear it!

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out? 

My favourite has to be Control Club and when I go out I always wear black clothing. Black makes you look very chic, and that is the look I go for.

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the Fashion Show? 

I want to take away the experience of how it feels to be in this industry, and the RAG Fashion Show is a really good start.

Hannah

Photograph from Instagram- @hannahkjay

Is this your first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking for the first time?

Yes, this is my first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show. It is particularly nerve wracking because I have never walked down a catwalk before, I have only ever done shoots.

Who is your inspiration?

Nobody in particular, although I used to watch America’s Next Top Model, and I loved Tyra Banks. Tyra taught me that you can always pursue what you want, as long as you are motivated.

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles?

I would say, if you were inspired by a style from the show, then go for whatever inspired you! I would also encourage you to take part in the RAG Fashion show next year.

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out? 

This may be an unpopular opinion, but my favourite night out is Pryzm. I go very comfy, usually wearing flats and a bodycon dress, because I like to dance!

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the Fashion Show? 

I want to see this as a gateway because I get to experience what it’s like to walk down a catwalk and take part in all the shoots.

Yolanda

Photograph from Yolanda’s Facebook

Is this your first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking in for the first time? 

Yes, this is my first-year walking in the fashion show. I remember last year when I saw the posters with some of my friends on, and I wondered ‘how do I get on there?’ But this year is my time to shine!

Who is your inspiration?

I also watched America’s Next Top Model and I thought that it would be simple to follow the instructions. However, I still admired the models because they were put out of their comfort zone.

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles? 

I would encourage them to join the RAG Fashion Show themselves because you never know what it’s like until you try. Then you will know if you like it, and you will have a new career goal. I would also say that every new creative idea is worth pursuing because it has been given to you for a reason.

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out?

Sunday Night at Practise is my favourite because I love the jazzy spoken word, the open mic and the chilled vibe. My go-to piece is an African Ankara and a head scarf. I also love wearing lace and boots.

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the RAG Fashion Show?

I want to find confidence in new situations with new people because it is so different to anything I have done before.

Funmi

Photograph from Funmi’s Facebook

Is this your first-year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking in the Fashion Show for the first time?

This is my first-year walking in the show, I am not nervous, but I am definitely excited.

Who is your inspiration?

I have been inspired by Iman because she is a black model. She set up a makeup line for dark complexion which I love, and she is stunning!

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles?

The majority of people walking in the RAG Fashion Show have never modelled before, we are all just normal students. If we are up for it, then you can be up for it too! If you have attended the show, this is already a great start, because it will exude your confidence and keeps your fire alive.

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out?

I always go to uni gigs and events in London, but I always wear all black, apart from one pop of colour. This could be anything, from my lipstick to a scarf.

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the Fashion Show?

I want to be more confident with experimenting with styles, I will get the chance to do this in the fashion show, and will keep it up after the show has finished.

Holly

Photograph from Instagram- @hollyr420

Is this your first year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking for the first time? 

 Yes, this is my first-year walking, but I feel good! (At this moment, Holly broke into song and dance of James Brown- I Feel Good). I wanted to get into the fashion industry, but there was not a lot of opportunity for me in the past.

Who is your inspiration?

Cara Delevingne for sure! But I also grew up watching America’s Next Top Model, and so I was really inspired from there.

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles?

I used to be like that myself, I used to look at a certain style and think ‘wow, I wish I could pull that off’. But then I realised that life is too short not to just go for it!

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out?

A lot of my friends play in bands from Leeds College of Music, so I usually go and watch them. I wear anything that turns heads, if you want compliments then don’t wear boring clothes!

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the RAG Fashion Show?

I want to take away the clothes! I also think it is a great platform for women especially, and people from so many diverse backgrounds and classes. It is important that people see it, so we can send a message that we are all in this together! It is also important for women to see other women up there, who are in the same shape and mind set.

Toluwa

Photograph from Toluwa’s Facebook

Is this your first year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking for the first time? 

Yes, it is my first time walking in the RAG Fashion Show, and I am walking for the causes it supports. However, I have walked in eight other shows, so it’s not completely new!

Who is your inspiration?

I was inspired by Tyson Beckford because I love the way he brands himself. I admire that he has no boundaries and has been an actor, as well as a model.

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles?

I would say that you should do what makes you comfortable, but at the same time you don’t always need to follow society. Breaking away from society is how fashion started, because someone needed to change the normal.

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out?

Backroom is my favourite night out in Leeds, and I will always be comfortable in what I am wearing. Smart shirt, jeans and loafers. That’s it!

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the RAG Fashion Show? 

I want to know that I have raised some awareness about the charities that the fashion show is supporting. Especially Labour Behind the Label, because I agree that awareness needs to be raised about manual labour been payed by a stupid price.

Elliot

Is this your first year walking in the RAG Fashion Show? If so, how are you feeling about walking for the first time? 

It is indeed my first LRFS. I’m super excited to get stuck in! it’s something that I never would have thought of doing and was definitely out of my comfort zone when I first went for the casting, which is why I went for it in the first place. The best thing for me about being part of an event like this is the people you meet so I’d say I’m most looking forward to meeting and working with some amazing people.

Who is your inspiration?

I’m having a love affair with Nyle di Marco. He might not know it yet but we are. I think what he does for the deaf community through his work as a model is admirable, and he’s all about removing labels and not putting people in boxes, something I try to advocate in my views as well. Let’s also throw in the Hadid sisters because who doesn’t need a bit of Gigi and Bella in their life.

What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the fashion in the show and who wants to become more confident with new styles?

Get a friend to go shopping with you. You’re never going to fully step out of your comfort zone until you have an outsider’s perspective on what looks good on you. You might think that something won’t suit you but when you try it on and get a good strong opinion and some encouragement you may be surprised. You have to feel good in what you wear as well. As long as you can walk in and own a room (not in the literal sense, we’re students after all) then it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a Chanel suit or some bed sheets…not entirely true but you get the gist. As my mother used to tell me, ‘make sure you don’t look like a schloch!’ (messy or shoddy in Yiddish).

What is your favourite night out in Leeds? Do you have a signature style/ go-to piece for a night out?

Ooh this is a tough one. I’ve had some of my best nights out at Mischief at Warehouse on a Wednesday and I also love Mixtape Project at Hifi on a Tuesday. Motown hits. I say no more. I wouldn’t say I had a signature style but for going out, because I’m quite tall, it’s usually an extra length top and dark jeans. Unless we’re talking a bit more fancy in which case it’s a black turtle neck jumper, trousers and some facial touch ups – make-up is for guys too y’know!

What is the one thing you want to take away from walking in the RAG Fashion Show?

New friends.

You can follow Elliot’s instagram account at @elliotzee

Helen Clifford, Assistant Director

The RAG Fashion Show has a successful history (winning Event of the Year five times). What is your main goal for the fashion show this year? What will make it successful in your eyes?

The goal of Leeds RAG Fashion Show 2017 is to educate through entertainment. We want to give a thought-provoking message but through art so that it is enjoyable too. There is a fine line between being preachy and being pretentious and our priority has been to find this balance. If people come away from the show feeling that they consider their impact on the world differently, but also enjoyed the experience of our show, I’m happy.

Last year you attracted celebrity attention from Jamie Laing. Do you know of any celebrity interest this year?

Nope! The priority of our show this year has been to let fashion lead the way and work on our charities. It would be great if any celebrities did want to pop by though…

Which charities have you chosen to support this year? Why are these important to you?

We are supporting Labour Behind the Label and Cruelty Free International Trust. LBL is the only UK campaign group that focuses exclusively on labour rights and aims to empower workers in the global garment industry. CFIT aims to conduct research into finding alternatives to animal experiments, ensuring laws controlling animals experiments are properly complied with . We chose charities associated with the fashion industry as this is the industry we are representing, and we are aware of flaws within it. Donating to charities that try to improve the industry felt like an obvious fit for us.

It is said that the show enables people to leave with a ‘new perspective of fashion’. What advice would you give to someone who has being inspired by the show/ wants to experiment with new fashion?

I would recommend considering all purchases and where they came from. Could you be more sustainable and ethical with your choices? As a society, we need to work on considering fashion as more of an investment, instead of something which we can discard of when bored. Fast fashion isn’t sustainable.

What is the theme this year?

The theme this year is sustainability! This has led the entire ethos of our show as well as the actual production, for example, the jumpers we are selling this year are locally sourced from a designer in Leeds and printed on organic cotton and ethically made. We wanted to show that fashion can be sustainable, and I think we’ve proved that.

Leeds RAG Fashion Show is on 23rd February 2017, Leeds University Union Campus. Tickets are on sale now, and you buy them here.

They will also be hosting a denim workshop and environmental talk on February 7th, you can find out more here.