The students prepare and carry out a catwalk, where they display clothes that they have produced or upcycled themselves. Guests from outside are invited to watch the show.
The intention is that the students collaborate to develop and carry out a visual performance to present their production.
Inform the students that they are going to organize a catwalk where they will showcase their own clothing designs. Tell them how it’s going to happen, who the guests are, and what the requirements are for their presentation. Guests can be other students at the school, parents and/or people from the local community.
Using the Catwalk method, students come up with ideas for atmosphere, lighting, music and set design in groups. Divide if necessary. Brainstorm into defined categories and ask students to consider how best to support the sustainable focus.
The class agrees on the concept for the catwalk – either by talking it out or by presenting their (best) ideas to each other and voting.
Students choose different working groups that focus on different parts, such as marketing (including the creation of invitations, posters, videos, etc.), set design (including lighting, props, backgrounds, etc.), sound design (including choice of music and voiceover), clothing collection (including choice of models and sequence) and documentation (video and photo).
Students prepare the stage and audience area.
The guests arrive. The students welcome the guests and start the show. The students walk the catwalk and showcase their designs while music plays and the audience looks.
Didactic tips
- The catwalk can be used at the end of a course on sustainability in the fashion industry to raise students’ awareness of consumption and recycling.
- Students can possibly use the Sketching and Moodboard methods to work on developing a visual concept for the catwalk.
- Get students to come up with their own ideas for which working groups to set up.
- Students can pitch their ideas for the catwalk concept to each other in groups. With the Weaving Together method they can connect the ideas or with a voting method they can vote on which concept they want to work with.
- After the rehearsal, groups can give each other feedback using the Two Stars and a Wish method or one of the other feedback methods.
- Give students responsibility for different roles during the catwalk (hosts, models, directors, lighting, DJ/sound, documentarians, etc.)
- Consider holding the show in a public space such as a library, cultural hall or shopping center to give it an authentic dimension.
- Afterwards, let the documentary team show their video of the catwalk and ask students to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved if the catwalk were to be done again.