Afghan Association of London

Afghan Association’s own showcase event which was held on 24^th September 2024

Spotlight Story: Afghan Association Fashion Show and Workshops (September 2024)

The Afghan Association held its second fashion show in September 2024 to showcase Afghan traditional clothing. The event brought together Afghan community members as well as guests from other communities, celebrating cultural heritage through fashion. Two of the models came to participate in the show from Scotland Afghan community and from the Afghan Hindu and Sikh communities.

Volunteer Contributions: the fashion show involved a range of volunteer efforts, from assisting models in dressing in traditional Afghan clothing – ensuring scarves and forehead jewellery were worn correctly – to providing encouragement and boosting their confidence on stage.

Volunteers also played key roles in organising and coordinating the event, introducing speakers and musicians, and preparing traditional outfits. Additional support included overseeing logistics, reporting, and ensuring the smooth running of the show Volunteers also expanded their knowledge of traditional Afghan costumes, though many were already skilled in this area:

“Yes, I now have more information about traditional costumes. I volunteered with the organisation. This organisation promotes and preserves traditional and cultural clothing and helps raise awareness about their importance.”

• 15 volunteers were involved.
• 2 volunteers attended.
• 3 volunteers were noted in other records.

Due to a small budget, almost all models, beauticians, and helpers were volunteers.

• 90% of regular attendees were volunteers helping to organise the main event.
• 3 volunteers were noted in another context

The showcase included a workshop on the origins of materials, which the audience enjoyed, learning about different fabric types and their significance.

Overall, very satisfied with the heritage and clothing workshops which increased their partial knowledge about Afghan heritage clothing.

“We learned how deeply clothing is connected to Afghanistan’s cultural identity and regional diversity. We discovered that each ethnic group—such as Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, and Uzbek has its own unique traditional dress, with specific patterns, colours, and embroidery styles that reflect their history and values. I also learned that vintage clothing was traditionally handmade using natural dyes and fabrics, making each piece unique and sustainable. This research helped me appreciate how these garments preserve cultural memory and how they are now inspiring modern Afghan fashion.”

Participants at the workshops enjoyed hands-on activities and visual demonstrations such as seeing and touching traditional Afghan fabrics and trying on traditional clothing.

Delivering the project has ‘significantly improved our project management skills: we learned how to plan and organise workshops from start to finish, including setting timelines, coordinating with venues, and managing materials.’

The main challenge was coordinating schedules with participants and collaborators and dealing with last minute changes. This was overcome by building more flexibility into the schedule, having regular communications and using reminders and follow-ups ‘to keep things on track.’

Organisers would feel confident managing similar projects in the future.

New partnerships in the community have developed and it is felt delivering the workshops has raised the profile of the Afghan Association on the London with Brent’s community and voluntary sector.

Community Engagement: The fashion show was a community-led event, with models ranging from 80 years old to 5 years old and representing different physical abilities. The variety of garments was particularly celebrated.

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