Becca Griffin-Roach, the 2023 DUCFS President, looks back on last year’s 40th anniversary campaign and all the work that went into making it the biggest year yet.
Celebrating our 40th Anniversary, it is hard to put into words the endless dedication, time and effort that was put into 2023’s campaign. Operating across ten months, raising 221k in support of The Rainbow Trust and the development of DUCFS Launchpad our team of 35 exec members, 50 models, 40 ambassadors and 3 presenters safely took DUCFS to the next level. Despite initially seeming like a daunting task, it soon turned into a sell-out three-night event. We established relations with 26 industry partners, showcased over 70 designers’ collections, and ran successful pre-show events, including life drawing, exhibition, and an array of Durham club nights, all whilst preparing for the three night spectacular.
With preparations beginning in March, Griffin the exec began planning everything from the campaign shoots to messaging countless designers and industry partners to organising the logistics of the events and planning our marketing strategy. Whilst to the naked eye, it seems to come together naturally, the reality behind the scenes is months of meticulous planning and adapting. We needed to establish a new aesthetic, theme and identity for our 2023 campaign, all whilst marking DUCFS’s 40th Anniversary.
We focused on the theme of time, breaking the show into three acts, exploring how people cope with time and changes explicitly within one’s life. Therefore, Act 1 centred around order and routine whilst examining the satisfaction and complacency humans experience within routine. Act 2 explores the chaos that arises upon the inevitable fall and disruption of this stability. Lastly, our final act, Act 3 explores the resolution of the previous two. Achieved through balancing our altered perception, we learn how to cherish the people, places and things we love with the time we have and establish a new order of incorporating the new changed experience.
After what seemed like endless hours of preparation, the 16th, 17th and 18th of February soon rolled around. Owing to the seamless organisation of our exec and dedication of models and volunteers, we not only put on a logistically seamless event but also managed to raise 221k in the process. The excitement of the first night is unmatched. As the first coaches pulled into Rainton Arena and the drinks reception began to fill up, the buzz backstage began. The models for Walk 1 got into position backstage, and the exec lined the back of the arena; the show began. With a personal favourite moment being Walk 4, with the models being referred to by the DUCFS team as the SWAT team, the fun we had during the days leading up to the show was unmatched.
The show lived up to more than we could have imagined. We owe a big thank you to our 3,100 attendees for making our 40th anniversary such a success and for supporting our 2023 campaign. We are so excited to see what 2024 has in store.
by Becca Griffin-Roach
