00:02What do rescue dogs, thrifted clothes and high-end fashion have in common?
00:07Let's find out how in Cape Town, catwalks filled with dogs are turning Tears into couture.
00:14Whenever a dog goes up, I'm going to be very nervous for that dog, but I'm going to be happy
00:17for that.
00:19This novel fashion show is a fundraiser for the Tears Animal Shelter, which rescues and rehabilitates animals.
00:25It's taking adoption and fundraising to a whole new level.
00:34So the idea of the fashion show was to actually give the dogs a different type of atmosphere.
00:40So to put them in the glitz and glam, imagine that they are going into their forever homes.
00:45And this came from an idea of giving the dogs the future that they want and manifesting the future that
00:51they want.
00:55Hosted in the opulent grounds of the historic Ruit Constantia Wine Farm, the shows were completely sold out.
01:06Designers donated four of their creations to be auctioned and all revenue went to support the shelter's work.
01:13Lara Klawikowski, one of Cape Town's top fashion designers, leapt at the chance to support the cause.
01:20I was thrilled when Tears approached me to be part of this project because it would mean that I could
01:28do what I love.
01:29Design amazing clothing out of very unusual materials and start with almost nothing and create something spectacular.
01:37And then it had the added benefit that anything that sold and any money would be donated to Tears and
01:44they could use it to take care of all the stray dogs and help them do the work they do.
01:49That's just amazing.
01:54I think that's a really creative way to raise funds and the fact that it's all upcycled and it's for
02:01these dogs and for this charity.
02:03I think that it's a very fun way to, you know, contribute to a great cause.
02:18The concept behind the show was for designers to select items from the Tears thrift store to create beautiful clothes
02:25that would be auctioned to raise funds.
02:29This dress, this printed fabric used to be an old duvet cover.
02:35And this was a men's shirt, which I've turned into a little top.
02:43So this was made from a scarf, which I've fused just to give it a bit more stability and lifeguard
02:50pants.
02:51So this dress was made from many items from the Tears thrift shop.
02:57There was this men's jersey and then I cut up two men's jackets, maybe about five items from the thrift
03:06store.
03:08And of course, the dogs needed their own designer outfits.
03:12Oh my goodness.
03:14I think if they've got a colour matched lead, then it'll look beautiful.
03:19It took eight weeks of painstaking words to create these incredible outfits.
03:24So she's wearing this and then Pretzel is wearing this.
03:29Usually it's a little bit easier if I'm using offcuts of other people's designs because those fabrics are still new.
03:36They're just the offcuts.
03:38But working with these secondhand clothing items made it a bit difficult because there was a lot of frail fabric
03:45in parts of the clothing.
03:47So that was a bit of a challenge, making sure that at the end of the day the design is
03:52a quality product that I would sell as a designer, even if it wasn't part of this project.
03:59And the results speak for themselves.
04:03I was so shocked that it was a duvet cover because you wouldn't be able to guess that it is.
04:09So I think it's so creative and genius, actually.
04:15It was a dream assignment for Laura. The concept dovetailed perfectly with her entire design philosophy.
04:23My whole philosophy is that we need to limit waste as much as possible.
04:28And I've tried throughout my 15 year brand build.
04:32Over the years, this approach has become extremely attractive since everyone's become more eco conscious.
04:39And my work has become more valuable and more appreciated and celebrated.
04:43And going forward, more people will become more inclined to buy items like this instead of the new fast fashion,
04:51which is so detrimental to the environment.
04:55And what's the story of these adorable dogs?
04:57And how were they chosen to step into the limelight?
05:04This was a very difficult process with all the dogs that we do have.
05:09All of them deserve the exposure that we get out here at these events.
05:13Dogs that walk the best on lead and were friendly enough with the people were the dogs that fortunately made
05:19it.
05:21The joy the dogs got out of being in the green area and not being in the kennels.
05:26It just gives you that joy and that accomplishment that you're doing something for the dogs.
05:31Each dog got to walk the ramp and struck their stuff.
05:38And then there was the auction.
05:41Let's have a walk and you decide what you want to spend on this dog.
05:44It was a huge success and is now on the events calendar of Cape Town Fashion Week.
05:49Thank you so much. It's awesome.
05:52The response from the public has been amazing.
05:55From people wanting to volunteer, to model, to hold dogs, to just be there for the dogs.
06:00The community has backed us from the start and we're entirely grateful.
06:06Very happy, very excited and I'm so happy that my design sold.
06:10It was lovely to see it at a distance where I could just take it in as the audience was
06:14taking it in.
06:14And I just appreciate it from afar.
06:22This time can take it easy.
06:22Um, I'll keep you hanging out with a lot, it's just when you know what I want to be.
06:22Alright guys that was waiting for someone to aim like that.
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