Students bring fashionable twist to Festival for the Common Good 2024
Five students are providing a platform for local fashion businesses thanks to GCU’s Festival for the Common Good 2024.
Sadie Stewart, Jennifer McCalman, Eve Jones, Rebecca White and Emma Nesbit have combined their knowledge to create Sip N Shop, an event designed to promote businesses in the Glasgow area while simultaneously giving students an insight into the world of fashion branding.
Up to 80 ticket holders will gather at Metropolitan Bar in the city centre on the 11th ofApril. Those in attendance will also to hear from a Glasgow-based life coach and have the chance of winning some top prizes.
The students involved in the organisation of the night’s entertainment are getting their first insight into the world of events after choosing an optional module through their BA (Hons) International Fashion Branding degree.
Festival for the Common Good 2024 gives second year GSBS students the opportunity to gain invaluable career experience while raising money for charities across Scotland. A total of 18 events will take place between the 7th and 13th of April, with Sip N Shop raising vital funds for Glasgow Women’s Aid.
We caught up with Sadie and Jennifer to find out more about what those in attendance can expect on the night.
How does it feel to be involved in something like this?
Sadie: “We’re really excited but it’s also a bit intimidating because it’s a chosen module. I knew when I chose the Event Delivery and Management module that I wanted to do something really practical that would stand out within my degree – fashion and events go hand in hand as well.
“It’s been a really good learning curve for us because I don’t think we realised the extent of planning needed to host an event and everything that goes into it. Even though we’re only in second year, I think it’s good for us to take that bit of responsibility with something like this.”
Jennifer: “We’d actually went to one of the Festival for the Common Good events last year, Pink Party Bingo, and knew we wanted to do something similar ourselves because it was just so exciting.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to develop our knowledge of something a little bit different – the experience is definitely something we can take forward.”
What made you choose this sort of event?
Jennifer: “We thought it would definitely be interesting to have an event that just celebrated women. Pink Party Bingo did exactly that last year but we wanted to do something that also focused on branding since that’s a massive part of our course. It was important for us to get lots of local brands involved because there will be people from our course attending on the night – it’s a great way for them to learn how different business owners have developed their own brand.”
Sadie: “This was one of the first ideas we came up with when we sat down and brainstormed together. Everyone then teamed up to develop it further and we realised it would be really good to give these local brands a spotlight to showcase their work. It’s massively important to us that it also helps students learn more about local small businesses.”
Tell us a bit more about what people can expect on the night?
Sadie: “Our main priority is getting people looking at the brands and seeing what they have to offer. It’s going to be all the women who own the brands there on the night so it’ll be perfect for students to ask lots of questions.
“That’ll take up the first half of the night and then we’ve got a raffle, which lots of local businesses have donated prizes to. We’ve also got a speaker coming, Mrs Brain Trainer, who will give a talk around the importance of positive mindset, and how to deal with stress and anxiety.
“There will also be a representative from Glasgow Women’s Aid in attendance who will give a talk as well. It’s all about the enjoyment of having a wee chat with friends and browse around the different businesses, but also having that educational side to it that people can take away.”
What made you choose Metropolitan Bar as your venue?
Jennifer: “We’d had a look at a couple of places but a lot of places were more focused on that party atmosphere. We didn’t want to have it as a night out, we wanted it to be a proper event. Metropolitan has the space and the capacity, and it’s all perfectly laid out because the bars in a separate bit to where the stalls will be set up.”
Ticket sales are going well so far - you must be proud at how things have progressed in such a short period of time?
Sadie: “All our brands are amazing at what they do individually but getting all these different brands interested in attending is massive for us, especially given that this is a university project. We’re delighted with the interest and level of support everyone has shown. It’s also good for us to have these contacts going forward in the future.”
Do you have a final message to students thinking of coming along?
Sadie: “It’s obviously an expense for people to pay, especially if they don’t know us personally. I think a lot of the time you’re just relying on friends to come along to events like this. The main things is that this is going to be an incredibly informative night overall, whether you’re actually into fashion or not. It’ll be a fun experience but also an opportunity to learn and give to charity.”
Find out more about the different businesses involved and claim your tickets by following Sip N Shop on Instagram
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter