Just before half term, we saw the much-anticipated return of one of the highlights of the school calendar – the Blackheath High School Fashion Show. This year’s event certainly lived up to expectations, with students showcasing an unforgettable evening filled with creative fashion design, film and music. 

Entitled 'Ignite', the show highlighted the impressive creative talent at Blackheath High School, featuring collaborative efforts from students in Year 7 through to Year 13. Stunning collections by our Sixth Form Textiles students took centre stage, displayed alongside imaginative designs from our lower school students, and modelled by pupils from all year groups. 

Opening the show in dramatic style with cobalt-blue prints and metallic highlights, Avis’ collection drew attention to the humanitarian crisis in Congo, their designs imagining a futuristic utopia where Congolese people are adorned with garments which celebrate their culture and resources.  

Catwalks by our GCSE Art students followed, who all modelled their own garments this year. Their designs saw intricate prints combined with exaggerated pleats, ruffles and hand embroidery to adorn their striking garments. Inspiration varied from botanical motifs and fungal forms, to prints extracted from coastal imagery gathered on a field trip to Hastings.  

A collaborative collection between Eva and Annabelle in Year 12 saw inspired choreography soundtracked by Gorillaz. Annabelle fused elegant silhouettes with a futuristic edge, showcasing tech-inspired prints in electric blues, pinks, and greens; Eva, inspired by the delicate beauty of dragonflies, presented intricate prints that captured the shimmer of their wings, on jewel-toned flowing fabrics.   

The musical interlude was provided by Year 10 rock band, who brought a nineties Britpop vibe to the show with a fantastic rendition of Blur’s ‘Boys and Girls’. We were also treated to a beautifully shot short film by our Year 11 Art Scholars, who transported us to the Art department trip to New York last Autumn.    

This year saw two catwalks from our youngest designers in Year 9, with Fashion Society creating a collection inspired by the strength and beauty of metals, showing sculptural designs embellished with reflective prints. In addition, our newly established Sustainable Fashion Society presented their Disrupted Denim pieces, a playful collection of reimagined denim pieces once destined for landfill. 

Year 12’s Annabel and Cecily presented collections inspired by fragmented skies and architectural cityscapes. Annabel's stylish designs brought in pastel blues mirroring the tranquillity of clear skies, with contrasting prints capturing the rich, deep hues of the night. Cecily’s collection drew inspiration from expanding skylines, with a strong emphasis on the colours and architectural forms of sprawling cityscapes. Last to show from Year 12, Lois presented a dreamy, sun-soaked capsule collection - models, adorned with dewy makeup, wore layered asymmetric garments in deep azures and soft blues, featuring metallic prints reminiscent of sunlit water. 

Ending the show, Alina’s botanical inspired collection featured lower school models bouncing down the catwalk to the strains of Florence and the Machine. Her incredible designs, bringing in intricate hand embroidery, crochet, print and ruffles, explored the forms of succulents combined with bright pops of colour found in nature. 

Huge congratulations to everybody who took part in this year’s show and thank you to all the students and staff who have worked so incredibly hard to make the event such a huge success! 

Written by Imogen Gilbert, Teacher of Art and Textiles