Being a photographer is a great job, as you get to meet some amazing people and touch peoples’ lives by capturing memories that last forever. Its also a very important tool that can be used to document, comment on and fight social injustice and its nice to be able to give something back.
We Are What We Wear charity fashion show March 2011
Find Your Feet charity display
One such instant was the We Are What We Wear charity fashion show that I was involved with in March 2011. One of my clients Vaishali Shah of Creative ID and Ananya Cards, asked me if I would be interested in covering the charity fashion show organised by the Find Your Feet charity, in celebration of their 50th Anniversary. All monies raised would go to the charity, to help them further their work.
We Are What We Wear March 2011
We Are What We Wear March 2011
We Are What We Wear March 2011
Find Your Feet are a charity that works in rural areas to help support people and help them free themselves from poverty, through listening and responding to the varying needs of the different communities that they work with. The charity was founded in 1960 by Carol Martin and has evolved from being an organisation that provides humanitarian aid, to being one that supports long-term rural development projects and now focuses on India and Malawi. Despite now being a major economic growth area, the gap between the rich and poor in India is vast, a difference I saw myself when I visited the country in 2004. Malawi is one of the world’s least developed nations and relies heavily on aid to help with its development challenges.
The event was held in the Mint Leaf Restaurant Bar in the Haymarket, London and the venue was an ideal place to hold a fashion show. Not only was there a stage area for the main part of the fashion show and the dance event, there were walkways all around the restaurant which allowed the models to showcase the outfit to all the diners.
Dhriv Baker and DJ Nihal arrive at the We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
Dhruv Baker, MasterChef winner 2010
Honey Kalaria and Mint Leaf restaurant owner Dinu Bhattessa
It was a star studded evening and was hosted by DJ Nihal from Radio 1′s Asian Network Show. Other guests included past MasterChef 2010 winner Dhruv Baker and Honey Kalaria, who runs her own Bollywood Dance Academy , “Britain’s top Modern Indian Dance expert” The Sun. Some of Honey’s young dancers also had hearts pumping and feet tapping with a fabulous, energetic Bollywood inspired repertoire.
Honey Kalaria's dancers rehearse before the show
Honey Kalaria's dancers
Honey Kalaria's dancers
Providing fun interludes throughout the evening magician Bharat Patel surprised and intrigued people with spell binding tricks.
Magician Bharat Patel spell binds people with his magic
Magician Bharat Patel spell binds people with his magic
The designers produced an exciting, varied and unusual array of outfits, which utilised all sorts of fabrics, including recycled materials and were created with environmental and ethical sourcing concerns paramount in the concept. Backstage was a cacophony of noise and colour, as models, make up artists and hairdressers raced to get ready for their entrance onto the catwalk.
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
Behind the scenes We Are What We Wear March 2011
Behind the scenes We Are What We Wear March 2011
Behind the scenes We Are What We Wear March 2011
Behind the scenes We Are What We Wear March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
We Are What We Wear fashion show March 2011
After the fashion show, there was a charity auction hosted by Charley Speed, who is a model and judge on Britain’s Next Top Model and everyone had great fun bidding for the items and Charley even sported one of the auction lots, a fantastic handbag made of drink can ring pulls 
.
Charley Speed hosts the auction at We Are What We Wear March 2011
Charley Speed hosts the auction at We Are What We Wear March 2011
The evening was a fabulous celebration of the work of the charity and raised the amazing total of £10,000 to help the charity continue its vital work helping the world’s poor. If you would like to help the charity with its work, donations can be made online on the charity’s website.
To check out more of my work please visit Iconic Creative Design and Photography.
All images are © Nicola Gaughan Iconic Creative 2011. Please contact me if you would like to use any images.
Being a photographer is a great job, as you get to meet some amazing people and touch peoples’ lives by capturing memories that last forever. Its also a very important tool that can be used to document, comment on and fight social injustice and its nice to be able to give something back.
£10000 raised, well done, it is such as a good achievement.
Thanks very much. Yes it was a great achievement, the charity are really pleased