Doireann Barrett (Gluten Free Kitchen Company) and Bairbre Barrett at Thursday’s Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall in Tralee. Photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Julie Byrne (Crafters Cabin Listowel) pictured at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall in Tralee on Thursday afternoon—photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Cathrine O’Brien, Sinead Sheehy, Olivia Dineen, Hannah, and Anne Dineen pictured at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall in Tralee on Thursday afternoon—photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Lea Barker Bond (Pet Bakery) and Sheila Martin (secretary of the Phoenix Woman’s Shed) at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Tabitha Overy pictured at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall on Thursday afternoon—photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Sonali Flynn was pictured on Thursday at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall—photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Sheila Martin (Secretary of Phoenix Women’s Shed), Mariann Fitzgerald (Vice Chair of Phoenix Women Shed), Many Landers (Treasurer), and Annette O’Sullivan (Committee Member) pictured at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall on Thursday—photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Shirley Thornton (Moms Porter Cake) and MJ Kissane at the Phoenix Women’s SHED pre-loved fashion show and Christmas Fayre at the Pipe Band Hall on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Mark O’Sullivan.
Fashion sustainability and a move away from ‘fast fashion’ are the central messages of the day at the Phoenix Women’s Shed pre-loved fashion show and Christmas fair at the Pipe Band Hall on Matt Talbot Road in Tralee last Thursday afternoon.
The Phoenix Women’s Shed team organized the event to support and encourage the sharing of pre-loved clothing and to support women in the arts and crafts industry.
Sheila Martin, the Secretary of the Phoenix Women’s Shed, spoke to The Kerryman after the event about how delighted she and the other organizers were with the event’s success and about the ‘fast fashion’ industry that exists in the world at the moment and how damaging it is to the environment.
“It was a great success, and the women enjoyed it,” Sheila said, adding, “The fashion show was a ‘pre-loved’ fashion show – which means that all of the clothes were purchased originally in charity shops – and it was organized Phoenix Women’s SHED organized it as a fundraiser. We combined it with the Christmas Fair we had on at the same time.”
“It [the event] was about promoting the message that so many unwanted clothes are dumped in landfills. Some of the figures I’ve seen from Oxfam was that half a ton of unwanted clothes are dumped every minute in Ireland. We’ve got a fast fashion industry, and a lot of the products are made from resources that are not sustainable,” Sheila continued.
“Our message to people was for them to buy good quality clothes and to keep them or share them and recycle them instead of buying lots and lots of cheap stuff that you know once you’ve washed them or worn them a couple of times, they’ll be thrown out,” she added.
On how the Christmas Fair went on the day, Sheila said it was beautiful to see people exhibiting so many different items and making perfect Christmas gifts for people.
“We had 15 tables/stands taken up by Christmas table displays, jewelry, ethically sourced and fair trade products, gluten-free and vegan cakes, and wood burnt designs. There was just a wide variety of things that people could buy. A chap came dressed as Santa Claus and went down a treat; he was very popular,” she laughed.
“Between the music, the fair, Santa Claus, and the fashion show, it was a highly successful event. We’re delighted.”