Harris Tweed Authority donates Harris Tweed to the Edinburgh Mela Festival

Tue 10 Aug, 2010 // Tartan Silk
Karen Reid Design

From Harris Tweed saris to Masai prints, Asian bridal wear to Kenyan high-couture, this year’s Edinburgh Mela Festival fashion show brought together contemporary and traditional catwalk creations from around the world.

The Festival tasked three up-and-coming designers with creating unique designs using Harris Tweed, kindly donated by the Harris Tweed Authority. The finished products – a traditional Pakistani outfit the shalwaar kameez (a tunic top with trousers); a Caribbean-inspired outfit, and an evening dress (as pictured) which were all unveiled at the Mela Fashion show on Sunday 8th August 2010.

The event was held at Leith Links, as part of the Edinburgh Mela Festival, Scotland’s foremost celebration of diversity through arts and culture, featured music from Bhangra to Bollywood and funk to soul.

Angela Gray, Edinburgh Mela Festival Engagement Officer, said:
“The fashion show is always a firm favourite with Mela-goers and this year’s event delivered a truly stunning visual feast.

“Local designers have been given a brilliant opportunity with the donation of tweed fabrics from the Harris Tweed Authority to incorporate into their one-off creations for this year’s event. The Edinburgh Mela would like thank the Harris Tweed Authority for their generous support and to all the designers, models and the fashion show team for their hard work.”

Karen Reid, who specialises in evening wear, showcased the pictured full-length evening gown with a hemline of ruffled Harris Tweed and a fascinator to match.

Angela Austin, from Edinburgh based collective of designers, ahuja clothing, made a contemporary stylish traditional Asian shalwar kameez with a tailored coat made of tweed. ahuja clothing is a collective family collaboration formed in 2010 that looks to combine traditional Scottish design with Asian “bling”.

Blanche Gorency, a Glasgow-based, French-Caribbean designer made a contemporary evening wear outfit inspired by the colours of the Caribbean and eighteenth century pirate clothing. She is making a full-length, tiered skirt in devoréd print” (a print technique giving colour, pattern and texture) with a fitted waistcoat and full-length cape made out of Harris Tweed.

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