Pupils' upcycling scheme helps lower cost of prom

Prom can come with a hefty price tag for many teenagers preparing to say goodbye to their friends and teachers.

But pupils at an academy in Leicester have developed an innovative solution – creating a "prom library" where donated suits and dresses have been upcycled and made available for free.

Pupils at Brook Mead Academy have appealed to family, staff and local businesses to donate old or damaged clothing, with PhD fashion students at De Montfort University teaching them how to repair and "elevate" the clothes.

"It's really expensive to get outfits for prom," said Myla, a pupil who helped set up the initiative.

Members of the school's eco club set up the scheme with the idea that the clothes would be washed and returned after the event and ready for the next Year 11 prom.

The donations have included 10 bridesmaid dresses with minor faults from a wedding shop in Leicester.

Student Zayda said: "It's really expensive. Dresses can cost £100, or even up to £1,000.

"So, we're asking shops to give us any they don't want and we can then make them wearable for the prom."

PhD fashion students at DMU put on a workshop teaching pupils how to sew and mend damaged clothes.

Jude, one of the students at the workshop, said: "It's a waste and bad for the environment if we only wear our clothes once and then throw them away."

Another pupil, Deyka, added: "The outfits will go in the school library and people can borrow them like books and return them after they've worn them for prom.

"Then the next Year 11 can use them, and the next until they can't be mended anymore."

Myla said the project was "really important", adding: "We wanted to make the prom more accessible for everyone.

"Prom's a big thing because after Year 11 most people won't actually see each other. It's like a final goodbye.

"My dress is really lovely and I hope whoever gets it next has the same experience I've had."

Melanie Peploe, a teacher at the school, said it was the first prom at the school, which opened last year.

"We found out how much some people were spending and wanted to make sure it was accessible," she said.

"The students wanted to upcycle clothes, make it unique for them, and save it from landfill."

She said it was heart-warming to see the children excited to wear their prom outfits, and added: "I can't wait to see them on the big day."

Environmental charity Global Action Plan also worked with the students in the eco club on the project.

Laura Brown, community engagement lead, said: "The project is so important because students often only wear the outfit once in their lifetime.

"So, why can't it go back within a circular economy and contribute to other students' prom experience?

"It's so much more affordable for every individual and an opportunity to give back to the school community. It's amazing."

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