With so much fashion inspiration now fed to us via our screens, it’s easy to forget how much the industry has been shaped by the force of the fashion magazine. Yet while most of us are no longer grabbing a copy of Vogue during our morning rush, this year’s Cambridge University Charity Fashion Show (CUCFS) is determined to make us rethink our perceptions of the most famous publications worldwide. Inviting us to step into their pages to ‘rewrite the narrative’ of Vogue, GQ, Cosmos, Rolling Stone and National Geographic, President Nathan Osareme Odiase and Vice President Samawia Asim promise to reframe how we read fashion history by taking us ‘Beyond the Cover’ with this year’s theme.
At the concept’s core is the hope that it will broaden the show’s appeal beyond its obvious audience. “It relates to every student somehow,” Samawia tells me, as her friends studying Zoology PhDs have been excited for the National Geographic walk months in advance. Trawling through magazines to see how “they’ve impacted the way we view fashion,” the music, makeup and outfits for each walk are curated to incorporate this influence, from Vogue’s iconic 60s ’fits to the groundbreaking photography featured in Cosmos and National Geographic. “That’s what CUCFS does, it brings to life the ideas and the publications that have shaped the way we perceive the world,” Samawia declares – and while it will be “complex” to translate nature photography into a series of catwalk outfits, she assures me that they’re up for the challenge.
“Their aim is to transform the rigid reputation of each publication into outfits which every student can relate to”
For Nathan, this diversity of appeal is central to CUCFS’ mission this year: “Fashion is about an exteriorisation of identity. And we want everyone who walks out on that day to feel like they have seen themselves in one of the looks.” His goal is to ensure that, irrespective of your “cultural or your personal interest, or gender, or your orientation, when you come for the show, you can feel very welcome.” Samawia adds that this is where the ‘rewrite the narrative’ motto comes in; their aim is to transform the rigid reputation of each publication into outfits which every student can relate to. This variety extends beyond its theme; Samawia reveals how their designs range from graduate projects to freshly curated pieces, showcasing designers from as far as Vietnam alongside featuring, closer to home, students from Durham, Anglia Ruskin, and Cambridge University.
While tackling the varied content of each publication presents a challenge – with copies of Vogue displaying everything from haute-couture to street style – Samawia promises that each magazine will serve as a creative springboard, rather than being flattened into a single stereotype. “People might think that Rolling Stone is just pop-culture punk, but it’s more than that. We’re bringing together different styles, and we’re fitting it all into Rolling Stone.” But while spotlighting some of the most well-known publications, the show still prioritises platforming small designers. “It’s very important to showcase that these designers are emerging, and I think we want them to say that the charity fashion show in Cambridge was where they got their start,” Nathan tells me. The plan to launch a zine documenting the designers and their pieces provides another chance for their “professional and creative growth,” and an opportunity to contribute their own narrative to the long legacy of fashion publications.
“While spotlighting some of the most well-known publications, the show still prioritises platforming small designers.”
This mission of connecting with a larger audience extends to the city itself. “Our main aim is not just to bring forward our pieces, but to bring forward the Cambridge culture, and the colleges, and the beautiful architecture that Cambridge has itself,” Samawia tells me. Aware that their audience stretches beyond the local area, with visitors from across the country attending the show, she acknowledges the responsibility they have as “the only Cambridge fashion show,” and plans to “maximise … the history that Cambridge provides us so easily.” Stressing that “the show is just beyond the day,” Nathan is looking far beyond 2025 in his vision for CUCFS. From pre-show shoots to backstage social media coverage, their promotion portfolio is designed to “exude the elegance and class from the Cambridge community” to an international audience for years to come, constructing a legacy which the society can “as a foundation to build a stronger brand.”
As we turn to the charities CUCFS is collaborating with this year – BEAT, Pink Week, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, and Sew Positive – it’s clear that this brand remains rooted in the society’s core values. Nathan explains the need to choose charities “connected to a diverse range of key issues within the fashion industry,” from body image and breast cancer to creativity and sustainability. Supporting BEAT for the second year running was a choice driven by a sense of “continuity and foundation” – and a homage to the previous President Jude, who was “incredibly passionate” about the cause. Nathan’s hope is to ensure everyone in CUCFS “feels like there’s a charity that speaks to them in one way or another.” Working with Pink Week has expanded the possibilities of collaboration beyond their expectations; several models “are also Pink Week reps,” Samawia reveals, “and they’ve done a lot of fundraising, and they’re really passionate about not just the theme, but the charity that they’re working towards.”
While Nathan has ticked off his goal of making CUCFS a constitutionally registered society and is already looking ahead to the legacy he’ll leave behind, the immediate task of pulling off this year’s show remains yet to be completed. It’s hard to not be overwhelmed by Samawia’s to-do list: “calling designers, arranging meetings with designers… and then sorting the Union, which is the venue where we’re doing the fashion show… ” Yet she assures me it’s been well worth the hard work: “We’ve reached out to so many audiences… We have a huge team. We have everything in place. And I love being part of the society,” she grins, impressively confident about the position the committee are in as they creep closer to the date of the show. With Nathan in his fifth and final year, and Samawia halfway through a nine-month Master’s, they’re driven to make the most of their limited time to make an impact on the Cambridge fashion scene. The day of this year’s catwalk is yet to arrive, yet the people behind it are already thinking about its influence for years to come; and it’s this attitude that makes me believe them when they promise that “history will be made” when their models walk through the Union halls in March.
Fashion Shoot Coordinator: Holly Hardman
Photographers: Amika Piplapure, Niamh Cafferty, Joanne Yau
Models: Verity Arden, Alice Briscoe, Emma Dawes, Lili Fehertoi-Nagy, Alice Lashua, Lena Tybura, Valerie Zhan, Ayaan Mahmood, Boris Irish, Kareish Rajkanna, Stephen Fajemilusi, Edward Xu
Designers: Tallulah LeVoi, Trang Hoang, Syria Torti Alcade (Magdalene) Abbey Yates, Gia Sun (Harvey Court).
