We continue to live in the constant flux of an everchanging world: surrounded by a relentless pace of natural and man-made transformation. Whether it be the corals in our oceans, the wilting of flowers or the weathering of buildings, metamorphosis surrounds us.

This year's fashion show was another huge success. Titled 'Metamorphosis', the edgier vibe of this year's event saw some incredibly innovative collections from both our Sixth Form and lower school students.

Lumina and Lauren’s collection sought to juxtapose harsh and industrial designs with delicate and soft textures. These themes were represented using fabric manipulation, with pleats and flowing inserts contrasting with mechanical foil prints. Mia and Ella’s collection explored the theme of ‘Disassembly’, with a colour palette drawn from cityscapes. Their screen-printed designs formed complex structures and compositions, and their catwalk included some quirky choreography to continue their theme, with sections played out in reverse. Our Year 12s certainly set the bar very high.

The Year 11 GCSE students, as always, dazzled us with an array of unique garments which saw processes such as foiling, screen printing and embroidered embellishment used to create striking designs. They explored the theme of ‘Beautiful Decay’, drawing inspiration from the natural metamorphosis of weathered surfaces and the evolving coastline of Hastings.

Other lower school successes included Fashion Society, whose take on Metamorphosis was to look at the changes in nature. Working hard to create individual pieces with complex pattern cutting, they used screen printing to adorn their garments with images of foiled corals, growing trees and wilting flowers showing the process of life and death within the natural environments that surround us.

Mimi continued the triumph of the lower school creating a full collection called ‘Rugged Effeminacy’: an intentional juxtaposition of what is supposedly masculine and feminine. To represent this contrast in her collection, she used masculine silhouettes with oversized shoulder pads and harsh lines in contrast with feminine fabrics and textile techniques.

Year 13 students Dorcas, Lily and Scarlett all took on different approaches to the theme. Dorcas developed prints for her garments by exploring traditional African prints that she contrasted with hand drawn images of modern technology creating bold patterns that adorned her garments. Inspired by the ropes and structural mechanisms found at Chatham Dockyard, Lily’s collection struck a more masculine vibe as her models strode down the catwalk wearing oversized garments with interlocking details. Finally, Scarlett’s solo collection impressed with inspiration drawn from delicate florals, using embroidery and smocking techniques onto silk fabrics to produce a dreamy soft embroidered collection.

A spell-binding performance on the harp by Tiana in Year 8 really added to the endless diversity of wonderful talents exhibited by our lower school students.

Fashion society organisers Scarlett and Alicia should be congratulated for their fantastic job in helping to coordinate the event.