Words by Lili Jones, Writer.

Everyone remain calm! We finally know the theme of this year’s CATWALK 2022 show. After weeks of teasing, last Thursday saw Director Kate Tempel announce this year’s theme: UNCOVER.

Drawing on what it means to live in a post Covid world, CATWALK looks to unmask the realities behind the ‘glamour’ of fashion and to UNCOVER the harsh truths behind one of the world’s cruelest and most powerful industries.

Inviting two speakers to address the audience, CATWALK placed charity at the heart of the evening, focusing on talent, inclusivity and, more than anything else, how fashion today represents a chance to affect meaningful change.

Celebrating the success of our own, CATWALK invited recent St Andrews graduate, and upcoming designer, Noémi to share her thoughts on fashion today.

Noémi began her collaboration with CATWALK during their ‘Playtime’ show back in 2020 when she designed and debuted her first collection. In her address to the audience, Noémi remarked on how her relationship with CATWALK gave her the platform to watch her dreams materialise before her and how she will never forget the feeling of watching her designs on a runaway that very first time. Urging the audience to pay attention to what they buy, Noémi explained the importance of slow fashion, to buy with intent and invest in quality pieces that will last. While ‘quality’ is often associated with being expensive, Noémi insists that even the small things can make a significant contribution to the environmental crisis we are all facing. She encouraged the audience to swap clothes with friends, thrift in charity shops and be inventive with styling.

Gaining insight into her creative process, what cannot be denied is Noémi’s exceptional talent but more than this, her passion for what fashion can achieve is what sets her apart. We are so excited to see Noemi back with CATWALK this year and, I for one, cannot wait to see what her new collection entails.

One of the charities CATWALK is supporting this year is ‘International Justice Mission’ or IJM, which has one clear mission: to end slavery and violence. Hearing from Zoë Anderson, the Scotland Development Executive for IJM, the audience was faced with one of the darkest parts of our world today, Modern Slavery, and its harshest realities. Rather than flinching in the face of its vastness, Zoë encouraged the audience to recognise how there has never been a time where it has been easier to make the change needed. Walking us through IJM’s 4 step process: to bring victims to safety; to strengthen justice systems; bring criminals to justice and scale the demand for protection, Zoë explained how the money raised by this year’s show can help rescue families and bring IJM one step closer to achieving its mission.

Fast fashion is one of the largest slave employers in the world and Zoë implored the audience to realise that when it comes to what we buy, being ethically made, or sourced, is not an additional extra but should be demanded by consumers as the bare minimum. Nothing is ever free, no bargain is simply good luck, because someone somewhere is always paying the price. Drawing on the words of William Wilberforce, Zoë left CATWALK with the simple mission: “let’s make goodness fashionable.”

Ending on a video that showed a group of children post rescue, the impact Zoë had on the audience was palpable, reminding everyone there that the evening was about so much more than the models and the theme, incredible as both are, but that it stood for something bigger: the chance to make a difference.

CATWALK is a show that prides itself on inclusivity and representation, they want the audience to recognise themselves in the models on the runway, to feel that the show is theirs, and this year is no exception. All the models were stunning and dressed uniformly in all black (so that they were recognisable). However, each was still encouraged to come as themselves and wear what they felt represented them. This was made more apparent through the makeup styling which was led by Dea Dragashi and her team whereby they choose to highlight each model through a bold graphic eye that was unique to them. The walk itself, choreographed by Amy Niven and her team, was used to unveil this year's cohort while serving as was a perfect taster of what we can expect to see in this year’s upcoming show.

After a year of no CATWALK, I was so happy to see the event back with a bang and, if the launch were anything to go by, this year’s show looks set to be one of the best yet.

To keep up to date with all things CATWALK follow them:

@catwalkfashionshow

https://www.catwalkstandrews.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CATWALKStAndrews/

Let's Make Goodness Fashionable: A Review of the CATWALK 2022 Launch