School formal op shop season starts Saturday
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Calling all Year 10, 11 and 12 students in the Belconnen region!
Are you looking for an affordable dress or suit for your school formal?
Would you like to be able to shop close to home, with friends and other students in your local community, and give new life to a pre-loved garment?
Kingsford-Smith School’s formal op shop this Saturday has you covered, with prices that would make any formal-goer smile: between $3 and $5 per item (items available include dresses, suits, shirts, ties, shoes and bags).
Organisers Marina Leko, a classroom teacher, and Bec Thompson, a youth worker at the school, founded the op shop last year.
“We’d heard bits and pieces of similar things happening at other schools, and sustainable fashion and op shopping are things Bec and I are both really passionate about,” says Marina. “Our big thing is about having little cost for our students and their families, but little cost to the earth as well.”
Formal season can be an expensive time, when you factor in the cost of tickets, transport, dresses or suits, shoes, accessories and hair and beauty products.
“Being able to provide a really affordable option can make the difference for some students and for their families, so we love being able to provide that,” adds Marina.
While it was only open to the school’s year 10 cohort of around 100 students last year, around 90 pieces were sold.
“The sense of community that it fostered among our year 10 students, picking things out for each other and helping each other to try them on, and hyping each other up, that in particular was really amazing,” says Marina.
Marina and Bec want to build on that community spirit while helping take the stress out of formal season for even more Belconnen residents this year.
“We’re really hoping to have students from a variety of schools in the community,” says Marina. “We’ve reached out to all the schools in our Belconnen region, so we’re hoping to have a good turnout.”
The leftovers from last year have provided the foundation for this year’s sale, with fresh community donations and stock from Vinnies boosting the range.
“We have students who volunteer at the Vinnies down the road, and through that we were able to build a partnership with Vinnies, so they helped us out with sourcing stock,” explains Marina. “There is some true vintage stuff, and stuff people have worn in the last couple of years, so it is a real mix.”
Kingsford Smith School students Cody Van Zomeren, Cooper Millar, Chloe Taylor and Maeve Scurr had the opportunity to preview some of the offerings earlier this week.
Chloe loves vintage clothing, but says there aren’t many op shops in her area. She’s looking forward to being able to browse through the dresses and accessories close to home, and with her friends.
“It’s really fun, especially if you find a dress you like, you can show them, and ask ‘hey, do you like this one?” and they can do the same with you,” she says.
Cody is really grateful to Bec and Marina for organising the sale.
“We don’t have to go out shopping and spend a lot of money when we have good quality clothes here we can use,” he says.
All four students are looking forward to dressing up for the formal.
“Formal is one of the only times the students really do get the opportunity to put on a really nice dress, or a suit, so making sure that’s accessible and affordable for our students is really, really important for us,” Marina says.
The sale is on Saturday 24 August from 10 am-1 pm, at Cranleigh School, Starke Street, Holt. Donations can be made before 3 pm on Friday 23 August at Kingsford Smith School reception. Funds raised by the sale will go to Headspace Canberra.
