Yesterday (21 September), Camden High Street transformed into a vibrant open-air runway for Camden as a Catwalk, celebrating sixty years of Camden’s fashion legacy through the lens of sustainability, creativity, and community.
With the street free of traffic, the event showcased how pedestrianisation can support local culture, bring communities together, and contribute to a cleaner, greener Camden.
Produced by Lucy Tammam, Love Camden Advisor and founder of Camden-based sustainable couture label TAMMAM, the professional fashion show featured performances, speeches, and decade-themed walks celebrating Camden’s fashion history.
Camden’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture, Councillor Sabrina Francis attended the event and said:
“Camden High Street has long been a centre of fashion innovation – pushing boundaries, setting trends, and celebrating individuality. With Camden as a Catwalk, we’re honouring that legacy while looking to the future.
“The trial pedestrianisation is helping us reimagine the high street as a space for people, bringing safer streets, and new opportunities to connect through culture. This event shows how Camden continues to lead the way, blending creativity with sustainability and turning our public spaces into platforms for local talent and community spirit.”
Camden residents were invited to submit original designs using upcycled materials that celebrated sixty years of Camden fashion. The open competition targeted local schools, universities, creative hubs, and community groups, with selected students from Capital City College, HVH Arts, and Camden-based designers showcasing their work on the Fashion Walk. Prizes also included a reinvention training course at TAMMAM Atelier, a cash award, and a sustainable fashion goodie bag.
A selection of designers and brands with links to Camden were also invited to take part with contributions from TAMMAM, Stuart Trevor, Wild Daisy, Outsider, KTCD, Kin and Cloth, Beyond Retro and FARA.
Lucy Tammam said:
“It has been an enormous privilege to create a unique London Fashion Week show that celebrates Camden, its culture, and its iconic fashions. The show focused on reinvention, with every piece carefully selected, created, and curated to reflect this theme. It included archival pieces that were reinvented and reconstructed with love, alongside garments made using 21st-century fabric innovations.
“Notably, we showcased the first-ever dress crafted from cotton grown in the UK (Gooddrop) and Shiringa, a sustainable bio-leather material that provides an alternative to traditional animal leather and synthetic materials. My aim for the show was to pay homage to the craft of couture while giving the public the opportunity to experience a high-calibre fashion event that honours this craftsmanship and recognises Camden’s vital role in shaping London’s creative identity. It is wonderful to see the council supporting the people of Camden, the local environment, and the revitalisation of the high street through such a bold, impactful, and meaningful project.”
Throughout the day, interactive workshops by Veolia and Camden Council engaged visitors on sustainability and textile waste, alongside stalls from Castlehaven, The Alterist, and Grassroots Arts.
Veolia, Camden Council’s environmental partner and flagship sponsor of the show, runs the Sustainability Fund which provides cash sponsorship, in-kind resources or staff volunteers to support not-for-profit organisations, community groups, and individuals to transform their local community or environment.
With sustainability and community spirit at its heart, Camden as a Catwalk drew hundreds of attendees and marked a milestone in Camden’s journey toward a more inclusive, green, and culturally rich high street.
The Camden High Street cultural programme will continue throughout the pedestrianisation trial, featuring events which celebrate fashion, art and the musical heritage of the high street, aimed at bringing local communities together and creating a dynamic experience for residents and visitors alike.
