Behind The Scenes..

Coming home with nothing to do after spending majority of my summer abroad, topping up my tan and generally having the time of my life, really was a downer to the end of an amazing summer. I was determined to keep myself busy up until I started back at University again, so I began applying for lots of retail and voluntary jobs in and around the Leeds/Manchester area. I wasn't having any luck and I thought the last month of my summer was going to consist of me being a couch potato, until my sister informed me about a Fashion Show in Leeds that was looking for volunteers to help out backstage. Within an hour of applying I heard back that I was accepted and as expected I was over the moon - jumping up and down whilst telling my mum the good news. (Jumping up and down is always allowed no matter how old you are haha!).

It was The End of Summer Fashion Show in Leeds 4th successful year running, bringing together new and exciting Fashion Designers to showcase their amazing work to the public and all the proceeds of the ticket sales went to the charity Barnardos! The Show was held at Tiger Tiger in Leeds and held a range of stalls from cupcakes to jewellery (the cupcakes were amazing!). There was a very welcoming response for the show and it opened with an amazing violin performance by Kate Chruscicka, as the models were still preparing backstage.

As I arrived backstage, I was slightly apprehensive as to what to expect as naturally I was nervous about being in an environment I had never been in before with people I had never met. I know what you're thinking... after 2months of being half way around the world and being thrown into situations like this all the time I should be used to it by now shouldn't I? But nope, still a shy little kid at heart! Luckily, everyone was super nice and I felt at ease straight away and I dived in head first into the tasks at hand. I had various jobs to do backstage, and began by fitting the models with the designers clothing as well as allocating each model with their own rail of clothing for a much easier and smooth process backstage once the show began. I can safely say this still didn't stop the expected rush and panic during the show haha!

The day pleasantly flew by and to my surprise it was a relatively calm process in comparison to backstage fashion shows I've seen in the past! Once it was systems go, you could feel the nerves and excitement buzzing around the room and once the first model had done her round on the catwalk the mayhem kicked in! Clothes were being flung off their hangers from all directions! The show ran exceptionally smooth and all the designers showcased their amazing work to a very impressed audience.

Photographer Safina Sher (yes, she's my sister) managed to gain access backstage at the show and caught some pretty cool snaps!

Let the Show begin!

It was such an amazing experience and I was so glad to be a part of it! As a Fashion student I've always wanted to gain some hands on experience working in a fast paced environment and from doing this show I've actually managed to get onboard with two more Fashion Shows in the coming months! Eeeek, how exciting!