Waste on the Catwalk

Click on the links below to see images from the show
Costume Design The Catwalk

‘Waste on the Catwalk’ was an innovative artist in residence project that focused upon the creative use of waste for fashion and textiles. A team of five artists worked with pupils from two infant, one junior and one comprehensive class from City and County of Swansea schools. The artists introduced the children and young people to a wide variety of techniques including mono printing, weaving, knitting, batik, collage, mosaic and fabric printing, and explored traditional as well as new fashion forms such as the crinoline, the waistcoat, the cloak, the headdress and the travel bag. The work was themed and topics included ‘Our Community’, ‘The Family’, and ‘The Stories of Narnia’. The artist gathered a wonderful assemblage of waste materials for the children and young people to work with, for example, waste tea bag fabric was used for mono printing, sweet papers were stitched and laminated into bodices and plastic tubes were shaped into crinolines.
The artists worked as a team dovetailing the designs so that at the end a fascinating collection of garments and accessories emerged, full of creativity and invention. This superb collection was modelled in a spectacular catwalk show on 27th June 2003 at Gorseinon College when some of the children and young people joined performing arts students from the college on the catwalk. The show was professionally staged and choreographed and proved a memorable finale to the City and County of Swansea’s three year “Arts for All” residency programme.

Team of Artists: Viv Rhule (Co-ordinating Artist)
Laura Bishop
Rachel Cahill
Kay Denyer
Rebecca Harvey
Participating Schools: Olchfa Comprehensive School
Manselton Primary School
Brynhyfryd Infant School
Graig Infant School

Catwalk show in partnership with Gorseinon College
Acknowledgements: The Arts Council of Wales, The City and County of Swansea, The Play Resource Centre, Play Right, The Co-op Brynhyfryd.
For more information on the three year residency programme please contact: Carolyn Davies, Teacher Adviser and Co-ordinator for the Arts (01792 637171) or Caron McColl, Administrative Support for the Arts (01792 637183)