We made our show together over the course of about 2 months! The first 6 weekly WCYT sessions on Mondays at the Bush Theatre were facilitated by Claudia and Rosie. In these sessions, we devised scenes inspired by all aspects of fashion - addressing the ethical and environmental issues in the industry, transforming the qualities of materials we wear into fully realised characters, and sharing stories about our favourite childhood outfits and current personal style. After building the script from the scenes we had devised, our first readthrough was in Week 7, with intensive rehearsals the following week.

Week 5 (first image) was a hotseating session. We were joined by local designers Marisol Cordoba and her daughter Angelica from La Modista London, and Christina Sesay from Sesay Bridalware. We interviewed them about running their businesses and fighting fast fashion in west London, and it was interesting to hear about memorable moments and experiences from their career, their personal takes and passions. Both businesses produce handmade, bespoke creations with an emphasis on being environmentally conscious. La Modista in particular has a strong focus on upcycling and runs monthly clothes repair/alteration workshops!

Summer Collection follows a similar structure to our show A Gurt Time Was Had By All, as our collection pieces were selected by our audiences, triggering their corresponding scenes in random order. Just like how brands produce a collection for every season, our summer 2023 collection represented our experiences with and opinions about fashion, and culminated in a big catwalk styled from the wardrobe of talented designer and friend of the company Roberta Lloyd. Just a few highlights of our 20 collection pieces included a Motown-style number about microfibres in our food, the Texturally Sound talk show (featuring celebrity guests Leather, Linen, Corduroy, Silk and Polyester), and an energetic exercise class taking us through every stage of a wash cycle!

CTC members Alyssa, Ben and Sophia joined us for our rehearsal week and performances, and we were also so lucky to be paid a visit by the legendary Dame Sheila Hancock (second image) - who also happens to be WCYT co-director Mel's mum! - to help us elevate our acting skills. A week of nail-biting games of Blood Potato and Alyssa's fashion version of Zip Zap Boing, a puppetry masterclass led by Claudia (third image), meal deals and rehearsals all led up to 2 joyful performances.