Published on 07 October 2021
A University of Sunderland student is hoping to raise awareness of sustainable fashion with her own unique exhibition.
Eve Howarth has curated the ‘Double Denim’ exhibition, which is going on display for one night only at The Athenaeum on Fawcett Street, Sunderland, tomorrow (October 8th) from 6pm to 8pm.
The exhibition, which features an array of clothing created by Eve’s fellow students on the Fashion, Design and Promotion course, aims to make people think twice about how they treat their clothing by showcasing all the work that goes into making a denim garment from scratch.
Eve, 21, from Monkwearmouth, said: “Sustainability is so important within the industry now and people need to see how much thought and work goes into their clothes and maybe they will appreciate them more.
“There will also be a section on upcycled denim at the exhibition, showing people that they can bring new life to their old garments, and garments can be recycled and given a second lease of life. They don’t need to be sent to landfill."
Eve was asked to create and plan a fashion show during her placement at Breeze Creatives, which provides studio space for artists and creative organisations across Newcastle and Sunderland.
The idea behind ‘Double Denim’ came from a live project Eve and her fellow students completed last year with specialist weavers Sam Weller & Sons Ltd, who donated some denim to the students so they could create a fashion show. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic this was unable to go ahead.
So, when the opportunity came up to create an exhibition for Breeze Creatives this year, Eve jumped at the chance to show off their denim work.
Eve admits it hasn’t been easy curating her first exhibition but feels she has risen to the challenge.
“It has been tricky curating the show on my own,” she said.
“However, my course gave me the knowledge I needed to plan the show from scratch.
“I’ve never done something like this before, especially not on my own, so this was the first chance I have really had to put my new knowledge into practise.
“I had so many ideas but had to basically work with what I already had. The show is very rustic looking and has a homemade feel to it, but I am over the moon with how things are piecing together.”
Alex Breeze, Co-Director of Breeze Creatives, said: "We are proud to have worked with Eve and the other students to put on this event, they have worked so hard and produced quality work in a short space of time."
Naomi Austin, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design and Promotion at the University of Sunderland, recently shortlisted as University of the Year, in this year’s THE – Times Higher Education – annual awards, said: “Eve is an extremely hard working and talented student who has been doing her internship with Breeze Creatives for a few months now.
“She was given a brief to create an exhibition based on a theme of her choice so she could literally do anything. I think many people would be nervous about taking on such a big task, especially with such an open brief, but Eve took it in her stride, getting students from other year groups involved and planning everything herself, including the curation and content of the exhibition.
“Eve’s now in her third and final year and has a huge amount of potential. I’m very proud of what she’s achieved so far.”
So, what does the future hold for Eve?
“After university I would love to work as a designer in the industry for a while,” she said.
“I would also love to work in the styling side of fashion for more independent magazines as there are so many new up-coming magazines and zines which represent everything I stand for, so it would be great to have the chance to work with such like-minded creatives
“Eventually, I would love to become a teacher or lecturer in fashion, just to be able to give something back as my tutors here at Sunderland have had such a positive impact on my time in education.”
The exhibition has been funded by a DOSH (Development Office Scholarship) Award.
The Robson Creative Internship offers undergraduate students within the School of Art and Design 100 hours of paid internship funding.
You can find out more about the DOSH scholarships currently available HERE.