First-time models to showcase upcycled clothes

A group of first-time models are taking to the runway to showcase a collection of clothes they have made from shower curtains, pillowcases and shalwar kameez.

The fashion show is a collaboration between Yorkshire Women's Forum, a charity based at Manningham Mills, and Bradford City FC Community Foundation, with the event taking place at Valley Parade on 9 July.

From denim wedding dresses to jackets made from cushions and pillowcases, some items in the showcase have been in the works for more than 18 months.

Sophie Younus, one of the people behind the outfits, said she was inspired by the cultural diversity of Bradford in her creations.

"Because the coat was quite western, I tried to give it an Asian, eastern twist by using really colourful laces and Middle Eastern fabrics. Bradford is bright and blooming, so it fits right in," she said.

Organisers of Threads Together described it as "a celebration of fashion, culture, sustainability and community" that aims to bring people together through ethical fashion upcycling and collective interaction.

More than 120 black bags of discarded clothing are being repurposed into 100 outfits for the show.

Jill Griffiths, who works in Manningham Mills, is one of the women taking to the catwalk for the first time.

She said it felt "absolutely wonderful" to be a model, and had learnt lots of skills to reuse her old clothes.

"I have just sent a lot of clothes to charity, which I love doing, but a lot of that is discarded.

"I could have brought them here and upcycled, giving it a new lease of life rather than just going to rags," she said.

Pieces for the fashion show have been created at The Sewcialise Project, a weekly textile upcycling session hosted by Yorkshire Women's Forum.

Tanu Patel, a director at the charity, wanted to showcase the women's hard work and highlight the skills they had developed.

"We started with, 'should we do a fashion show?', and then it snowballed into something bigger and bigger," she said.

The sessions, which started as an ethical upcycling project, soon morphed into a lifeline for the community of women.

"Very quickly we realised that within the groups of women, we were working with things like isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression, all mental health issues, physical health and poverty," she said.

The Valley Parade event will also be the debut of the Period Poverty Project, a scheme teaching local women how to make, market and distribute reusable sanitary towels to women in need.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.