Welland Eco Wardrobe showcase a success

The Welland Eco Wardrobe (part of the Welland Park Academy PTA) held their first showcase evening and were overwhelmed by the public response.

The initiative started in August 2023 when Nicki Burgess, PA to the Principal of Welland Park Academy, had an idea to help youngsters in this time of financial crisis but also to look at sustainability and how to keep some of these clothing items out of landfill.

"Two students had told me that they were anticipating not being able to attend Prom 2023 due to financial hardships within their families. Luckily we were able to help them and they had a fantastic time. Whether we like it or not, Prom is becoming bigger and bigger each year and is now seen as a rite of passage for many secondary school students. With this growth, the price of outfits, particularly the dresses, is increasing drastically and some families find it difficult to give their child the type of outfit that they are hoping for. Welland Eco Wardrobe was created to help youngsters have the perfect prom night!

The clothing and fast fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters of our environment and little steps such as hiring an outfit instead of buying one can have a huge impact on our planet. Youngsters are a lot more receptive to wearing pre-loved items than they used to be so it seemed an ideal opportunity to tap into that."

Nicki put a plea out for donations of dresses, suits, shoes and accessories and was hoping for around 20 - 30. She now has over 300 outfits with many of them brand new. Local businesses also donated items such as a clothes steamer, rails, hangers and John Lewis contributed over £300 worth of ties and costume jewellery. On Monday 19th February the public were able to view everything for the first time. The event was open to anyone - not just Welland Park Academy families. Over 200 people attended during the 2 hour event with approximately 50 youngsters trying on garments with an option to either hire or purchase. 20 dresses, 2 suits and many accessory items were taken during the course of the evening.

Nicki said that people had travelled from as far as Burbage and Northampton as well as more local areas. The feedback has been fantastic.

"Thank you so much for the prom dress event last night! My niece travelled from Overstone and is thrilled to bits with her dress."

"Thank you. Aisha was so happy with her choice."

"Thank you so much! Elle went straight in and found exactly what she envisioned that she couldn’t find online! After struggling to pick between three red dresses, she chose! She put it on to show her dad when we got in and we struggled to get her back out of it"

"We popped in on a whim and my son found his suit! What a fantastic idea."

Nicki said the Academy has been very supportive, allowing us to use the Octagonal Hall for the showcase and also providing the Eco Wardrobe with a fantastic storage area for all of the garments. Following the success of the evening, another is being planned for around Easter time. Donations of dresses, suits, shoes and bags will continue to be very gratefully received. All items can be dropped off to the school reception.