Two weeks after the show and we’re still reeling from the thrill of it all! Thank you so much to everyone who bought a ticket - you were a fantastic audience and truly made the night! If you want to relive it one more time, here’s a rundown of the day from someone (me) on the inside…
8am - The Old Fruitmarket
As the rest of the city nursed Friday night hangovers, the committee convened bright and early at the Old Fruitmarket. Despite the bleary eyes, the mood was high. After a few coffee runs, preparations quickly got underway. The team were prepped and spirited by our vice president Liv, who stepped in to be the voice of Rose for the day. Losing her voice on show day was a cruel irony for our president, yet it only goes to emphasise her dedication to this society. She persevered and, like every other blip she overcame in the run up to the show, had found her voice again by the end of the night.
10am - The Balloons
Determinedly put to work by the production team, who’d done an incredible job organising the committee’s roles for the day (as well as the show itself), the marketing team were assigned to the balloons. A straightforward job for the influencers on the team, you’d think. The first problem began with a helium can we couldn’t open; the second with a can we couldn’t close. Taking one for the team, I filled the first balloon and then promptly popped it.
Realising the balloons were a lost cause, we decided to leave it up to the Card Factory. So off we set on a mission across Glasgow for someone to gladly blow up 50 balloons for us. Walking back along Argyle Street almost hovering with the helium was one of the more stressful experiences of my life but, if nothing else, it made for some excellent #content.
12pm - Model Rehearsals
Back in the Fruitmarket, we walked into the show rehearsals. It’s no easy feat to strut and saunter down that catwalk in six inch heels but the models did it with a perfected nonchalance. After weeks of rehearsals, it’s a credit to Craig and the rest of the creative team that the show itself ran so smoothly on the night. We also have to thank our amazing production sponsors, Inhouse Productions, for all their support making the creative vision for ESSENCE really come alive.
3pm - Meeting our Sponsors
After a quick run home to eat some lunch and get ready for the show, I was shortly back in the Fruitmarket setting up the VIP room as our drinks sponsors started to arrive. This year, we were delighted to have Panther M*lk, CILLÍ and Kwenched on board. We are thrilled to have the support of such incredible local businesses committed to embracing their Scottish roots!
6pm - VIP Pre Party
As the first guests started arriving for the VIP pre party, we had the wonderful Edinburgh based DJs PASO to soundtrack the beginning of the night. The duo made their Glasgow debut at the sold out GCFS x Femme DM club night in the Berkeley Suite back in January. Their exceptionally danceable blends of trance beats and acid house really got people buzzed for the start of the show. Drinks, raffle tickets and CHAS merch were flowing fast!
9pm - ESSENCE
At 9pm on the dot, the show kicked off in front of a packed Fruitmarket crowd dolled up to the heavens in their finest black tie. We can thank our main show DJ, Carmen Baia for the energy in the crowd throughout the entire show. Carmen is a hugely popular Glasgow-based DJ, known for her Latin influenced dance, jungle and house sets. Having played across the city for promoters such as Breathe, Houseplants and Glass Tank, we were delighted that Carmen took up the decks for Essence.
Looks ranged from Zoe Allison’s leather chaps to Oliza Howieson’s ephemeral knitwear and Tarika Kinney’s Schiaparelli style hands-on dress. Speaking to some people in the crowd, there was a sense that some had been unsure what to expect from a student fashion show, but I couldn’t help but feel smug at the fact they all were overwhelmingly stunned by the degree of talent, creativity, production and professionalism on display.
So often events and initiatives like GCFS are undervalued and dismissed simply because they’re run by students. In the case of student fashion shows, even when they are held up and celebrated, Glasgow students seem to miss out once more. Sizing up this unfair neglect and proving it has absolutely no weight, Essence goes to show that students in this city are truly some of the most artistic, innovative and hard-working there is.
11pm - After Dark Club Night
Finally, on a post-show high, everyone headed over to the Corinthian Club for the Essence After Dark, after party. This was our first year running a post show club night, and the tiled dance floor of the Corinthian club, just a few minutes from the Old Fruitmarket, felt like the perfect venue. Our incredible lineup included Jenn Gunn, Bellarosa, Shedcat, Orla Halligan and Santiago.
At the centre of it all, though, is our charitable partner, CHAS. As much as the night was a charity fundraiser, it was also a celebration of all the vital work CHAS does to support young people and their families requiring palliative and end-of-life care. Every penny of the money raised from both the show and the past seven months of fundraising will go directly to support CHAS’s Balloch based hospice, Robin’s House, just outside of Glasgow.
Thanks once again to all our sponsors, and to Selective Personnel for making this fundraising possible.