Leeds students are hosting a charity fashion show for MIND, and here’s how you can get involved

Leeds is known for its vintage fashion, edgy art and top nights out. So a group of Leeds students have combined all three for a charity extravaganza to raise money for Mind.

"Leeds;inMind" will be held on the 26th September at Church, featuring a fashion show and art exhibition before following with an after party at Bar Fibre. The event will showcase the best undiscovered designers and artists of Leeds whilst raising money for a good cause.

Proceeds will be donated to Mind, which works to provide information and support to those who suffer with mental health issues. The debut show in Sheffield raised over £1500 for the charity and they aim to break that figure with a £2000 target for the Leeds event.

Phoebe Williams, Eliot Riley, Mark Harrison and JJ Garcia-Whippey are the directors of the show. We spoke to Phoebe to find out more:

Phoebe Williams, head stylist of the show

So how do you go about planning a charity fashion show?

Phoebe and Eliot started discussing the idea after a close friend of theirs died as a result of mental health. They chose to support MIND because everyone in the team is either affected by mental health personally, or knows someone who is. A concept that I think we can all relate to.

Phoebe says, "each of us have a real interest in fashion and appreciate the various styles of each city, and the up and coming designers and artists who are the creation of such styles, so we wanted to celebrate this.".

The 'inMIND' team

"Three of our team members are males themselves, so we understand how taboo mental health in males is. We want to recognize how common mental health is and that it is okay to not be okay and it is okay to talk about it."

They use fashion to develop their "self-confidence through expression of individuality" and want to inspire others to do the same.

The directors are keen to encourage Leeds freshers to come to the event. We all know that mental health issues can seriously spin out of control and intensify at uni.

Phoebe says that "support systems at uni aren't always present, so we want to raise awareness of Mind amongst freshers and give them the ability to TALK when they are not okay."

Can you tell us more about the designers and artists?

The event will feature up and coming designers, many of them Leeds graduates, such as Olivia Miller and Tiar Johnston. A designer to watch out for is Bronte Palmer, who started the brand "A State of Unisex" after battling with cancer and wanting to create a genderless image.

Most of the clothing and art featured in the show will be available for us to buy at the event.

There'll even be glitter, the possibility of a drag queen walk and an after party at Bar Fibre's penthouse

So get yourselves down to Church on the 26th September from 5-9pm. It's Freshers' Week, time to party and support those who need it most.

Buy your ticket here.

Proceeds from the fashion and art sold at the event will go towards Mind.

You can also continue to support Mind by donating to their GoFundMe page.