A group of enterprising Huntington School students have banded together to launch a donation project for prom and occasion wear.
They’re collecting gifted dresses and suits for Year 11 and 13 students, in a bid to promote inclusivity.
It’s called ‘Dress 2 Impress’ and it aims to ensure every student ‘celebrates their prom in style’, a social enterprise created for the benefit of the school community.
YorkMix spoke to Rianne Hughes, business and economics teacher at Huntington School, who told us how the idea initially came to light.
“They’re year 12, so they’ve just finished their GCSEs, and this is their first kind of exploration into running their own business.
“They did their market research, and they thought they’d like to do something to give back to the school community, and somebody has given a couple of them some dresses, and they thought, oh, it’d be really nice to be able to put together a prom attire.”
Donations initially opened at the end of September and students are accepting:
- Dresses
- Suits
- Accessories (shoes, handbags, ties, jewellery, etc.)
- Clothing rails
- Mannequins
- Suit bags
The donations will lead up to a ‘VIP’ event for Year 11 and 13 students, hosted at the end of March 2025.
The Prom Fayre will showcase the selection of formal wear and accessories for students to look through, try on, and loan.
Students are also keen to work alongside local businesses who may like to support the event or offer demonstrations, such as beauticians or hairdressers.
If proven successful, the Dress 2 Impress Prom Fayre will remain as an annual event at Huntington School.
Run by students, for students, the event hopes to create a sense of excitement for all students, whilst easing some of the financial pressures that come alongside days like this.
The students have constructed a vision for the enterprise, which is as follows: “We believe every student should be able to celebrate their prom in style. By donating your dress or suit you will be helping to inspire our school community to make mindful fashion choices that reflect both their unique style and our commitment to a brighter more sustainable future. You will also be helping to make someone else’s night just as special as yours.”
Rianne told YorkMix the effort the pupils are going through, “They’re doing all the legwork. One young man has designed logos, they’ve contacted everybody, they’re posting it on Facebook, they’re doing all the marketing. And actually, I’m very proud of what they are doing.”
Prom donation drives have been carried out in York before, and continue to, but Rianne understands the benefits of hosting Dress 2 Impress at the school.
“When speaking to some of the students, a few said they just can’t get to these events, so it’d be more accessible for them.
“Some of the students also said they’d feel more comfortable coming to an event where they’ve got their own friends here and they can all try it on together, there’s more of a community sense.
“And I think it’s really nice that it’s not run by any of us. It’s run by students, for the students, which I think gives it its own unique edge.” She told YorkMix.
Huntington School is accepting donations of occasion wear and accessories, up until March 2026.
To donate, you can drop the items off at the school reception or contact the school to arrange a collection here.
Businesses can also contact the school if they’re looking to support the event, here.