We’re inviting local professional fashion designers to submit up to four different looks to be part of a fashion show in Crawley on Saturday 12 April 2025.
Creative Crawley is inviting professional fashion designers who live in Crawley, West Sussex or Surrey to submit up to four different looks to be part of a fashion show in Crawley on Saturday 12 April 2025.
Local fashion designers Beth Williams and Sophie Merriner are curating the show with the Creative Crawley team and a group of local residents called Playmakers who are part of the Creative Playground project.
The pieces submitted should connect with the themes of ‘Outside Inside’, ‘Belonging’ and ‘Journeys’.
We encourage applications from designers from all backgrounds and communities and are actively seeking designers who have lived experience of the diverse communities that live in Crawley, including those with Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chagossian, Mauritian, Polish, Portuguese, Ukrainian and British backgrounds.
The deadline to apply is Thursday 13 February 2025
The Brief
Working in partnership with the Fashion Show Playmakers group, the designers will loan existing pieces of fashion artwork that can be shown in a Fashion Show on Saturday 12 April 2025 in a temporary arts space in County Mall shopping centre, Crawley.
We welcome up to four different looks per designer.
What kinds of pieces are we interested in?
We are interested in collections and pieces that are bold, colourful, spark joy and speak to contemporary fashion. Pieces could subvert ideas of what fashion is, how it is worn and who it is for. We are particularly interested in collections that connect with the themes of Outside Inside, Belonging and Journeys.
What kinds of people do we want to work with?
Fashion designers or groups of artists and creatives who:
– Are based in Crawley, West Sussex or Surrey
– Are either working professionals and have showcased at least one fashion piece in a professional context and/or are studying Fashion and Textiles at higher education
– Explore sustainability and the importance of it in their work
– Make high quality work
What are the designers responsible for?
– Loaning Creative Crawley at least four ready made looks from their collection and ensuring they are delivered to Crawley by Monday 17 March 2025. The pieces will be returned to the designers by Thursday 17 April 2025.
– Providing sizing, images and copy for the pieces and biog information about the artist by Monday 31 March 2025.
– Attending the fashion show on Saturday 12 April 2025 in County Mall Shopping Centre, Crawley.
Budget
Each designer will be paid a fee of £200 each regardless of the amount of pieces shown. Postage costs will be reimbursed up to £50 per designer.
Please submit a CV or biography, 3-4 examples of your work via a digital portfolio, fill out our anonymous demographics survey, and answer the following questions:
● Tell us about your recent experience as a designer. This should include any professional experience or paid work. (500 words or 5 mins maximum)
● Tell us how your work connects with the themes we are exploring in the show (300 words or 3 minutes max)
● Why do you want to show your work in Crawley? (300 words or 3 minutes max)
● Please send us 3 – 4 examples of your work and links to websites/social media.
You can submit your responses in the following ways:
– A written application (e.g. Word document or PDF)
– An audio application in MP3 or WAV format
– A video application in mp4 format
*We collect this demographic information anonymously from applicants so we can see who is/isn’t applying, and do more to ensure our recruitment process fosters our principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion. If you have any questions about this, please get in touch.
Who is the team?
The Creative Crawley project team will work with artists Sophie Merriner and Beth Williams to curate the show. There is a group of volunteer Playmakers who meet once a month to help develop the project and ensure that it is rooted in the values of Creative Playground. This group consists of between 10 and 15 people.
Creative Playground champions everyday creativity and connecting through shared experiences. Soon, Crawley will be a place where people are inspired just by walking around and joyful events take place in all neighbourhoods. By Crawley people and for Crawley people.
Creative Crawley is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation: 1195308 VAT Registration No: 402232067, Crawley College, College Road, Crawley, RH10 1NR
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