North Glasgow College
Showcase for Excellence
Signposting excellent practice 2: Excellent practice in the Annual Charity
Fashion Show – an integrated showcase
The Annual Charity Fashion Show is aimed at providing the full-time Higher National (HN)
Certificate and Diploma Fashion learners and the NQ Millinery classes with an opportunity to
showcase the work undertaken throughout their studies.
The 70 full-time and 30 part-time learners present their work via six fashion shows and an
exhibition, with each show attracting an audience of approximately 140 guests. Twelve
German learners, funded through a Leonardo exchange programme, participated in the 2010
show. The show is planned by HND Fashion learners as part of the unit Managing an Event
and involves all fashion programmes, from NQ to HN Fashion including part-time evening
and day classes. The event is the main focal point for the fashion learners’ charity work. The
show includes a display of work from various primary school work placement projects
undertaken by learners. Effective cross-faculty collaboration is encouraged with input from
photography, music and sound engineering learners. The integrated approach continues with
hairdressing and make-up artistry learners from Clydebank College undertaking their
respective tasks for the show. School teachers and pupils from the learners’ former schools
are invited to attend the show and participate in the schools’ design competition in the lead up
to the show. They produce designs using the same brief as the fashion learners - the winning
design is made up and modelled at the show and the winning pupil attends as an honoured
guest. In addition, employers, work placement supervisors, university staff, the college
Board of Management and council leaders attend as VIPs.
The Annual Charity Fashion Show has a strong team-building focus not only providing
bonding opportunities across the various fashion programmes but across the faculty. It also
provides relevant industrial experience as learners undergo all the challenges of planning and
participating in a professional show. Photography learners acquire experience of a fashion
shoot and sound production learners provide the music and sound and produce a recording of
the show. The show itself displays the distance travelled for all those involved as well as
promoting citizenship, entrepreneurial talent and team working.
The preparation leading up to the fashion shows builds confident and successful individuals,
responsible citizens, effective contributors. Core skills are seamlessly integrated into the
work of the learners throughout the duration of their studies.