Everything you need to know about fashion show.

@photosbyshagunjain

The wait is over. The UoE Fashion Society fashion show is tomorrow: the 10th of March. As usual, the show will be celebrating small Scotland-based designers and spotlighting small creatives in our area. In fact, if you want to learn more about our designers we have posted interviews that you can read right here. The theme of this year’s show is ‘Ethereal Beings’, celebrating where fashion meets mythology. Our beautiful venue, Greyfriars Kirk, personifies the supernatural and mystical in Edinburgh, making it the perfect place to celebrate. From more about our venue, our theme and our dress code, scroll down for everything you need to know about our show before you go!

Greyfriars Kirk

Greyfriars Kirk was founded in 1620, making it just over 400 years old, and is located in the center of Edinburgh’s famous old town. In 1845, fire ravaged Greyfriars, and even today you can see signs of damage on certain windows and certain parts of the Eastern side of the church. Restoration took place, and stained glass windows were added to the building. 

Whilst the building is beautiful, and its history is rich, as a student in Edinburgh, I mainly associate Greyfriars Kirk either with Greyfriars Bobby (which could be a perfect spot for some outfit pictures, just outside the venue) or with the ghost tours that tourists love to go on! In fact, some have called Greyfriars Kirkyard the most haunted cemetery in the world: 

Edinburgh has a strong connection to witchcraft and the supernatural, in the 16th and 17th centuries approximately 4000 Scottish people were accused of witchcraft, leading to many people being executed for the crime. Whilst in the graveyard, you may notice cages or bars on many of the graves, called mortsafes. This was to discourage body snatchers from stealing corpses and selling them for the highest price. On the left side of the church yard is the burial site of ‘Bloody Mackenzie’, King Charles II's Lord Advocate who imprisoned over 1000 men in the kirkyard leading to many deaths. Since the 1990s over 350 people have claimed to have been attacked by the spirit of ‘Bloody Mackenzie’ from scratching, bruising, biting and pushing. Allegedly, an exorcist was brought in to deal with the spirit and was so disturbed by the energy that he left immediately. He was found dead of a heart attack 2 weeks later.

@photosbyshagunjain

Ethereal Beings

Because of Greyfriars Kirk’s connection with the supernatural, we knew that we wanted to explore the mystical side of Edinburgh and we can’t wait to see everyone’s take on ‘Ethereal Beings’. 

If you need some last minute inspiration then look no further:

Folklore

Mythology

Origins

Not only does Edinburgh have a strong connection to the paranormal, but built into the city is a strong connection to everything supernatural, mythical and mythological. Whether this is the history of the witches, or ‘deals with the devil’ made by Sir Thomas Weir, you cannot avoid the connection to the supernatural in the city. We hope to recreate some of this magical feeling on Monday. So, be creative and remember that there will be a prize for best-dressed in each of our subthemes! (And, remember, there is no such thing as overdressed!).

Solidaritee

Whilst we are super excited to celebrate young creatives, and see everyone dressed up on Monday, it is important to remember what the show is benefitting. Solidaritee, the charity we are working with this year, are an amazing movement that empowers and supports refugees forced to leave their homes. They strive to create a world where those fleeing persecution, and searching for a safer place to live, receive ‘holistic, dignified, and lasting support.’

Final Release Tickets have been released, and if you haven’t bought yours yet I hope you will. If you haven’t, scan the QR code in this image. The night will be amazing, the team have been working super hard to make sure everyone has a great time for as low a price as possible, and all the money will be going to a fantastic cause.

Follow Solidaritee on social media (@teesofsolidarity) to learn more about them, the work they do is truly fantastic and we feel honoured to be able to support them in this way.