Burgess Hill Girls student fashions recycled dress to reach finals of national contest

A budding fashion designer from top independent school Burgess Hill Girls who modelled her own outfit on the runway at the NEC Birmingham has been chosen as a finalist in a prestigious national schools competition.

This theme of this year’s annual ICHF (International Craft and Hobby Fairs) Fashion Icon competition was the Met Gala Ball, the iconic New York event which raises fund for the city’s Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute.

Year 10 student Abigail Fossey, 15, made it through to the final ten with her outfit. Sustainability was a key criterion for the ICHF competition, so students were encouraged to use an existing garment to recycle.

Abigail’s charcoal black, strapless evening dress was restyled to include grey and black lace additions – to the shoulder line and at the centre front of the skirt. The lace was also used to create roses which were used to decorate the black velvet hat and the fold-back sections of the skirt. Students were also required to use an accessory in the form of either a hat or an umbrella/parasol.

Judges inspected the garments very closely and marked construction techniques and appearance on the catwalk when being modelled.

Burgess Hill Girls Head Liz Laybourn said the whole school was delighted by Abigail’s success: ‘Abigail’s outfit looked fantastic on the catwalk, and she had enormous poise and presence as a model. Creativity is such an important quality and we do everything we can to foster and develop it.’