The Astra Collective have embedded themselves in York’s creative fabric with their second show, Fuchsia. Since their inception last spring, Astra has gone from strength to strength – forging a passionate community of student creatives and establishing their vibrant, joy-driven vision with an unforgettable debut show.
Fuchsia was a celebration in every sense: dynamic, glitzy, and full of flair. Immersed in a swirl of vivid lights and hypnotic music, the audience was invited to revel in the energy of the moment while admiring the stunning work of the talented designers.
At its heart, however, the show was a tribute. Astra’s chosen charity, The Pink Ribbon Foundation, inspired everything from the name to the aesthetic vision, turning Fuchsia into a heartfelt service – honouring those affected by breast cancer and fighting to spread awareness.
Before the show, I sat down with Tara, Izzy and Eloise, members of the Astra Committee, to talk about everything from the curation process to their favourite looks, and most importantly, the work of The Pink Ribbon Foundation, which the event proudly supports.
“I want Fuchsia to remind people to live vividly”
To begin, could you talk me through the name, Fuchsia, and the inspiration behind it?
(Tara) The name, Fuchsia, comes from our chosen charity this year, which is The Pink Ribbon Foundation. Fuchsia was chosen not only for its bold and striking colour, but for what it represents: strength, compassion, and unapologetic femininity, not just for females, but for everyone.
This show celebrates The Pink Ribbon Foundation, which embodies resilience in the face of adversity, and Fuchsia encapsulates the same spirit. It’s a hue that symbolises life, courage, and transformation, standing as a vibrant reminder of hope, within the struggle.
This show aims to inspire self expression and empathy, through fashion creativity and collaboration. I want Fuchsia to remind people to live vividly, to be unafraid of standing out, and embrace beauty and all its forms, even the unconventional, the emotional, and the raw.
What drew you to The Pink Ribbon Foundation?
(Tara) There are many amazing charities fundraising and researching but The Pink Ribbon Foundation helps to fund multiple charities and they help people who are underrepresented, like transgender people, people from unconventional backgrounds, and they support both men and women.
(Izzy) They support anyone and everyone. It affects everyone directly or indirectly and I think The Pink Ribbon really highlights that it’s not just women that are affected; it’s men too. We need to stop fuelling the stigma that it’s just a female disease. It affects everyone.
How has Astra been using the show to spread awareness about breast cancer?
(Izzy) We’ve been on it! I think I post at least once a week, “check your tits!” It’s like a cheeky “check yourself”, “check your cherries”, I think people like cheekiness because cancer is a very serious thing, but cheekiness makes it a bit more relatable. It’s just a small thing that takes two minutes each day when you’re in the shower, and it can be lifesaving.
(Tara) Few people actually know how to check themselves. It shouldn’t be taboo. Every single person, whoever they are, should know how to check for cancer.
(Izzy) One of our friends who lost her mum to breast cancer will be sharing her story during the interval. It’s a nice thing to give her some justice and closure – to ensure it’s being acknowledged and that there are still people campaigning to help fight this horrible disease.
When it comes to the show’s aesthetics, you mentioned it would be very bold. Were there any particular qualities you were looking for in the designers’ work?
(Tara) I just wanted people who dared to be bold. Even if their pieces are simple, they stay true to themselves and embody what Fuchsia is going to be. It’s a celebration of life in every form, and each designer’s got a different take on that, which I think is really beautiful.
We actually have a beautiful piece closing the show, which is Angel Wings; it’s gonna be a beautiful ending to the story. We want to remember people who have been lost. To remember them as beautiful in life and as angels.
Are there any other pieces or designers that stood out to you?
(Eloise) It’s fun to see the student designers – we have Isabella, who is in our year. She does prints and has really cool designs – she’s literally made a Fuchsia range just for the show. Another one of our friends is offering some pieces because she likes to sew in her spare time. Even ex-students like Tash Crane bags, who is offering some of her pieces. It’s really nice to see student involvement, and it shows the communal nature of this Uni. Just for this show, there have been so many people who are willing to help when it comes to charity and community.
What’s it been like connecting with all the different parts of the community – designers, makeup teams, models – and bringing everyone together?
(Tara) A lot of work. It’s been hard! I don’t have a life anymore.
(Eloise) Getting all these people together has been so nice. Especially working with the models – most of them have never done anything like this before and I know a lot of them are nervous, but Astra is a nice place to meet new people to try something new, boost your confidence, wear something amazing, and have a really nice evening with a new community of people celebrating something really important.
(Izzy) We really echoed with the models, that “you’re not doing this for your Instagram feed, you’re doing it for breast cancer and raising awareness”, because I know when you’re in the middle of preparing for a show and meeting new people, the meaning behind why we are doing it sometimes gets lost. This is helping potentially save someone’s life, it’s quite a big thing.
Last time we spoke, you told me about how sustainability was one of Astra’s core values, how have you incorporated that into this show?
(Tara) One of our designers is Swap Don’t Shop Society and a lot of the designers use sustainable materials; we’ve got about three crochet designers, and they all use repurposed fabrics.
(Eloise) I think it’s also good that we ask people to bring their own items as well, instead of having Astra buy new clothes. It encourages people to use pieces in their wardrobe that they may not wear as often and pair them with something to create a look.
(Izzy) That was fun last year, Eloise wore one of my tops, and we styled it with a gorgeous crochet piece and her mum’s repurposed skirts and she looked phenomenal.
Finally, how has this show been shaping up to be different to the last one?
(Tara) We’re a lot more organised! It’s a lot bigger. A lot more time and thought have gone into it. We put in so much. Izzy and I spent our whole summer dedicated to this show.
(Izzy) The burnout is really crazy now.
(Tara) We wanted it to be a more charity-focused fashion show. Last year, our charity was BEAT, but it felt more like a fashion show raising money for charity; maybe people had an intention of personal gain instead of helping charity. That’s not the energy we want in this space. This time it’s more of a celebration, and I want people to come be a part of what I’m going to call ‘Fuchsia energy’. I want people to leave, remembering to live vividly and not take anything for granted. Just enjoy it, just have fun!
Many thanks to the Astra Collective for taking the time to speak to me, and Ola Onyeiwu for the beautiful pictures of the show (find her work at @olatakesfilm)