Students from the Level 3 Fashion Business & Retail course will soon be hosting a pop-up clothes shop at the Deeside campus to raise money for Hope House Tŷ Gobaith children’s hospices as well as developing their education.
A group of seven students attended Hope House’s new Chester store on 8th January to hand-pick stylish clothes for resale and fulfil elements of their coursework.
Tutor, Beth White explained: “This is such an exciting project for the students to work on and fulfils the Volunteering and Visual Merchandising elements of their Welsh Baccalaureate.
“It will help develop a sense of leadership, responsibility and a better knowledge of how important reducing waste in the retail sector is.
“There’s so much more awareness amongst young people about how stylish pre-loved clothes can be. With this in mind, we are aiming to target the students as well as the staff this year.”
On their visit, the group sifted through tens of bags of donated stock and picked their favourite pieces, checking for brands and thinking what would be of interest to their market.
Students, Phobe and Freddy, shared: “There’s a real great mix of styles here and we’re thinking quite hard about who would buy what.
“It’s a new experience and something really different to work on.”
Their chosen stock will be delivered to the college in readiness for the opening of the five-day store on 26th January.
Retail Area Manager for the hospice shops, Mark Hunt-Gittins, commented: “It’s been great supporting this initiative and helping to give back to the future of the fashion and retail industry.
“Also in return, by raising money, the students are supporting our work in caring for local children and families living with a life-threatening condition.
“It’s a win-win situation and we look forward to seeing what they have selected on display and how much they can raise.”
The pop-up shop will be supported by the charity with merchandising materials, racking and the all-important mannequins.
