When Lily Rowland was given her GCSE textiles brief to create a recycled textile garment that could be displayed in the window of an Oxfam shop, she looked no further for inspiration than the donations to a local Oxfam shop itself.

The regrettable but easily forgettable gaudy patterned ties of the 90's were to be Lily's muse. Seamstress Lily 'folded and padded out the ties to create ruffles and layers and finally formed an unusual and eye catching corset.'  

When it came to displaying her garment Lily found herself considering Oxfam's campaigning strategy as a whole. As with her piece she realised the importance of creativity and uniqueness in Oxfam's branding and how this is crucial to engaging with the public, creating awareness, and raising the profile of the campaigns and shops alike. 

Lily went further to conceptualise her piece by drawing comparisons with the Oxfam Unwrapped scheme which sees people sponsoring the purchase of various gifts of, school tables, gardening tools and goats; 'The shapes of the padded out ties were all different shapes and sizes, just like the choice of gifts.. Not just all being 'one size fits all'.

Lily wanted to share her textile journey, she said that she '...really enjoyed this project, purely because I had transformed one garment into another using various techniques and ideas whilst learning and incorporating the philosophies behind Oxfam.' 

This work really highlights how young people can engage with campaigns in fun, creative and innovative ways. Our shops are a great place to start for inspiration and combining your ideas with a current campaign can give significance and lead to some great activism. Get in touch with John McLaverty with your ideas and creations! JMcLaverty@oxfam.org.uk

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Image: GCSE Textile Corset, made out of recycled ties. Lily Rowland.