The Wall_Spring 2023_Issue 9

The 9th of February 2023 was a night to remember. When the clock hit 6pm we could hear the buzz of the audience as they began filling the tables. The stage managers were frantically running behind the scenes reminding everyone that we were beginning in two minutes.The soft jazz was washed out by the distant murmur of voices, parents, friends and teachers all wondering the same thing: what is about to happen? Meanwhile, the models were lined up, nervously waiting for their call, dressed in vibrant colors, silks and beaded tops.The makeup artists were rushing like they had something burning on the stove, making sure they hadn’t forgotten to apply mascara on one of the models' eyes or straighten the last strands of hair. Eventually, those two minutes passed, and it was time. Months of hard work, rehearsals and endless meetings had led up to this very moment in time and before we knew it, the stage managers called into the microphone, “you are on in 3...2...1” the stage was a spotlight, bright and brilliant, it was our time to step on stage and begin what was to be the first ever: Wall Fashion Show.The show was split into two parts beginning with the pupil made creations in GCSE art class and textiles club.The first set of models showed off their handmade line of summer shorts, made by pupils across the school in textiles club. Stylishly, the models walked down the catwalk transporting the audience to much sunnier places with their straw hats and sunglasses.They were swiftly followed by Klaudia Jadlecka (she/her), LVI and Yeva Kebabdjian (she/her), LVI reminisce on the phenomenal fashion show of 2023 - the first ever event run by The Wall ! When all that could be seen on

the incredible collection of pieces creat ed by GCSE art pupils who were inspired by the famous ‘Africa Fashion’ exhibition in theV&A. Each piece was individually crafted and put together by our GCSE artists who incorporated explosive colors to make their designs come alive.The catwalk looked like a colorful canvas with beaming greens, blazing reds and bold shades of every color you can think of, leaving the audience in awe and transported momentarily to another continent. The show then came to a brief pause before announcing the musical performance of Ibstock Place School alumna, Maya Lane. Her soft voice and gentle aura touched every single person in the room as through her songs we could hear raw emotion, allowing us to marvel at her beautiful lyrics. She shone on the stage with her unique style and vintage touch - shown especially with her Western cowboy boots. When her performance came to an end, it was the moment for Klaudia andYeva - the twoWall editors and presenters of the show - to reiterate one of the main reasons why the Fashion

Show was taking place.This was to raise money for theYungMash Collective which is a free peer-to-peer, global mentoring and empowering community for young adults, based on cutting-edge neuroscience, founded by Masha Shishkina. Masha is Ibstock’s late head girl who passed away from cancer last year. Everyone in the Ibstock community profoundly felt her loss and we wanted to honor the beautiful person that she was by raising funds for such an incredible cause through fashion, which was one of her favorite things. Masha was known for her kind heart, warmth and positivity; many people also recognised her immaculate style and taste. It is for that reason that we decided to allocate all funds from the show to her charity. The second half of the show was, indeed, the main event - TheWall Fashion Show.This segment was solely pupil-led and inspired by the this year’s theme of the magazine.We explored how fashion had changed and evolved through decades and the outfits were inspire by signature fashion trends in specific eras starting from the roaring 20s, ending with our pupils’ conceptions of how fashion will evolve in the future.The music also

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