People from across Northland came together to stage the Victory Fashion Parade and raise funds for Engage Aotearoa on Saturday the 28th of September at Toll Stadium. The Victory Parade was the brainchild of Whangarei local, Vicky Flavell, who joined forces with Karma Flavell and Luanne Wedgwood to create an event that would give local Northland fashion designers a chance to show their creative work and connect with their community. Vicky and Karma have both walked their own journeys to recovery from the experience of being suicidal and they decided to use The Victory Parade as a way to raise money for suicide prevention. When Engage Aotearoa and Key to Life took the Community Korero suicide prevention talks to Whangarei in May, The Victory Parade team kindly offered to donate all of the proceeds from the event to Engage Aotearoa.
On the 28th of September when Engage Aotearoa representatives arrived at Toll Stadium, people were already gathering at the entrance to buy last-minute tickets and get a spot at the front of the queue. Around 110 people turned out for the show, emceed by Vince Cocurullo. The night kicked-off with a rendition of Blindspott’s ‘Phlex’ from local youth band W.I.S and a speech from Engage Aotearoa’s service director, Miriam Larsen-Barr; an opportunity to thank everyone involved and share information about where people feeling suicidal can find help. Then came the catwalk shows. As well as showcasing Northland designers, The Victory Parade displayed the diversity of the community in a positive way; the models included a range of body-shapes, ages and ethnicities all looking incredibly comfortable in their skin.
Engage Aotearoa and Community Mental-Health Resources Trust (CMHRT) offer their heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in The Victory Parade, from the organisers to those who provided free or subsidised resources, sponsored costs, donated time, presented a collection, modelled on the runway, performed in one of the dances or attended the show. The event was a resounding success and each and every one of the people involved was part of making that happen.
The team would especially like to thank Vicky Flavell and her power-duo, Karma Flavell and Luanne Wedgwood for bringing it all together.
Proceeds raised by The Victory Parade will be used to print more copies of The Butterfly Diaries.
The Victory Parade Organisers:
Vicky Flavell, Karma Flavell and Luanne Wedgwood.
The Victory Parade Designers:
Tracey Davies, Samantha Wakelin, Neisha Maree, Charlotte Davidson, Julie Pyle, Simon Richards, Mercy, Tracey Harvey, Jessie Rose, Krakens Lair and the Steampunk crew.
The Victory Parade Sponsors:
Absolute Caterers, Ashleigh Higgins, Bev Redwood, Blooms Florist, Kani Krew, Otaika Pharmacy, People Potential, QVS, Sharon Gibson Life and Style, Toll Stadium, Tru Colours Ltd and Verna Flavell
