The spectacular fashion show at Surbiton High
by Shannon Barkley-Nakajima (Surbiton High School)
Fashion. Glam. Garments. Makeup. Hair.
The annual fashion show at Surbiton High School holds a massively positive reputation…
The fashion show at Surbiton High School is popular for it’s high spirits and has returned after 3 years away from the glamour, talent, joy and entertainment it brought, disappointedly due to Covid-19; however luckily this year the show was able to commence from the evening of March 3rd to March 4th. Bigger, brighter and better than ever, tickets sold out for both nights (the money donated to a charity chosen by the students on behalf of the whole school) pushing dress makers taking measurements, collecting sustainable materials and sewing, stitching and working even harder to craft the exquisite and one of a kind pieces for the runway, representing their team house: Teresa, Fonteyn, Austen, Parks, Nightingale, Pankhurst or Curie.
The best highlights of the show include the built in elevated cat walk, the sound technician working his magic with the audio, the kaleidoscopic coloured stage illuminated from the lighting, the eye-catching music videos created by the sixth form leaders, the dances and collaborative work from class to class in every year and all the sweat and hard work paying off at the end when results of the winners are announced. This year, with the themes being fables, fantasies and more, as well as a characteristic such as perseverance, the door was wide open for imaginative creations and all sorts of possibilities with the design of the dress/outfit based around the themes- there were only a few requirements being to only use completely eco-friendly material that are decomposable/recyclable and didn’t involve any plastic or cardboard. This meant that the fun could carry on whilst being mindful of waste products and the contribution it has on our taken for granted environnement. Fortunately, the school also had the privilege to invite a special visitor this year, whom was a former member of the Vogue team and had an important role in the creative direction of the company, as he came to judge alongside two others on the judging panel, being an ex pupil of Surbiton and a teacher.
After having the chance to talk with a model for the show from the Teresa house, Nilly Clark (14) had expressed the whole experience into a few concise words being, ‘Spectacular. Special. Just amazing and a one in a lifetime opportunity. The vibes are always so good and the teamwork amongst the girls here is just incredible resulting in the most gorgeous and genius dresses like this one for my Ice queen character.’ Her dress fitting into the Narnia storyline in the fantasy theme, being an example of several showstoppers, is as displayed in the photo below; it truly was a magical creation with a ball gown skirt wrapped in gorgeous and glittery lace, a veil and crown perched on her head, the arty ‘Euphoria’ inspired makeup flawlessly painted on her skin, and a cape draped over her shoulders with the words spelt in big, blue and bold writing: PERSEVERANCE! She conveyed her pride in her house for putting their efforts together, resulting in coming 1st in the public voting (online global vote for the house the public and audience believe should win).
All in all, although participation is optional of course, the fashion show truly is a highlight in not only every pupil’s year but for parents watching as audience either from home on the live stream or in person, and not only is the experience truly fun but memories and all the cool dances, struts and poses on the runway and stage are captured by the talented school photographer. One parent I had interviewed in the way out had said ‘Exceptional is an understatement. It was a true delight. Seeing it so well put together and the talent if the voices, models and dancers was superb and nothing like I’ve seen before and I can see how much hard work went behind the show and the organisation of it. I missed seeing my daughter on stage with her friends where she honestly probably feels the most comfortable in those sorts of environments. I appreciate the school for putting this event back on after the years locked away at home really. So, yeah I hope they’ll do it again when she’s in Year 11 which will sadly be her last year here at the senior school!’
The response this year truly just truly reflects how the show unites the whole school together as they put a phenomenal performance on for the once a year, backed by the hard work, teamwork and effort behind the scenes. This was not the only positive feedback received, but how it spreads awareness and encourages pupils who are eager to enter the fashion industry to choose the, ‘green,’ route and help change the future into one that isn’t so polluted by the clouds of negativity on the damage we are still currently doing to our planet with global warming due to major issues such as plastic pollution, is significant. To add to this, the fashion show at Surbiton High School provide inspiration for ways to create showcasing outfits for the runway only using earth friendly materials, illuminating the positive change and progress the school is currently doing NOW and the actions they are undertaking for pupils to enjoy cherishable experiences during high school such as this whilst taking action on the other current issues in the world. So, you don’t want to miss for next year, so keep an eye out hopefully for Surbiton Fashion Show 2023!
