A celebration of culture through fashion and design

Days and hours of preparation, rehearsals and planning culminated in a magnificent celebration of culture across continents; a very fitting theme considering the isolated circumstances we find ourselves in post-Covid. The rearranging of dates to fit the new schedule meant the fashion show preparation clashed with house music, leaving the girls precious little time to organise an event of this magnitude. However, when you give the Harington Girls a challenge, they rise to it, uncomplaining and full of zest to deliver at the highest level possible. A polished and sophisticated performance was the result of their collective uncompromising determination to deliver, and deliver they did.

The audience was taken on a journey of history and cultural heritage as each house represented their allocated continent through the medium of baking, wearable art and musical performance. Being the first edition in the history of the fourteen-year fashion show that counted towards full points for the house competition, the houses knew they had to reach levels of perfection.

Fitchett House set the bar high with their amalgamation of African influence. A three-tiered cake depicting wildlife, Egyptian influence and traditional architecture complimented their dazzling performance on the stage.

Hamilton House took to the stage next with their own twist on the Disney classic “Frozen” to tie in with their Antarctica theme. A skillfully crafted white chocolate and vanilla cake depicting an Arctic scene complete with polar bears and igloo augmented the icy atmosphere resplendent in their stage performance and costuming.

The diversity of Asia was beautifully presented through School House's masterful three-part outfit which was truly spectacular. If that wasn’t enough, how about a full-sized Chinese dragon taking the stage! A two-tiered cake covered in handcrafted cherry blossoms certainly got the judges attention.

Williams House breathed life into Oceania by hand-weaving a flax and feather outfit. It was a huge task amalgamating all of the diversity that Oceania presents, and Williams House can be proud of their effort in successfully portraying our own corner of the world.

Europe - land of fairy tale castles, beautiful buildings and stunning food - Hall House had the task of representing this smorgasbord of cultures. They symbolised this beautifully through the variety of fondant depictions of the most famous European landmarks encased in glass shards, symbolic of a broken snow globe. A thoroughly enjoyable rendition of the Spice Girls in concert kept the audience entertained.

North America came to life on the catwalk when Sargood House depicted the traditional Native American dress and the plight of the indigenous people. Fabulous stage makeup and beautiful costuming made the audience gasp as the gorgeous Ruby Kapene-Paitai stole the show with her portrayal of the pride and also the suffering of the people of the land. Sargood’s musical item, although not in accordance with their North American theme, was a delightfully entertaining rendition of Harry Potter, an audience favourite.

Concluding the evening was Clarke House, representing South America in an array of colour and energy. Their outfit included a hand-painted bodice and the hours of work that went into the detail of the skirt was incredulous. Packing a punch with their chilli chocolate cake, Clark certainly represented this part of the world with aplomb!

The overall scores were separated by a mere few points between all the houses, but Sargood House took the win. Although not everyone can be the winner, the girls gained far more from this experience than house points. As the judges stated: the sisterhood was palpable, and this bond of togetherness that has always defined Harington House, is what truly matters. A stunning performance and a spectacular achievement ladies, well done.