Saturday night was certainly one to remember. The atmosphere was buzzing, with unlimited drinks, servings of burritos, and the delivery of L.K.Bennett goody bags. For under £40, the show was certainly value for money. All proceeds raised from the event went towards tackling social injustice in South London. The charity Cambridge House was the other focus of the evening. The bold, the brave and the bizarre strutted down the catwalk, showcasing a range of colourful, creative, and crazy designs.

Perhaps the fashion was controversial in parts; nonetheless, it was refreshing to see a fashion show representing diversity. The models were ultimately the stars of the show; a mix of body sizes, from curvy to petite, and a range of ethnicities highlighted how all different shapes and sizes could look amazing no matter what. Every model was imbued with confidence, with strength being the preferred choice over skinny, especially with the male models Chris Jammer and Ife Adepegba. With clothes being on show from Central Saint, Hannah Farrugia Sharples, Amanda Wakeley, Burnt Soul, L.K.Bennett and Ted Baker, a range of high street, high end and student designs were displayed. After only five rehearsals, the models seemed to own the catwalk.

Standing in the front row next to the runway, the adrenaline of the models certainly was felt. One of the models, Karl Thompson, commented: “Backstage was pretty frantic – It got quite heated at points, but this just added to the sense of achievement and excitement.” The atmosphere was electric in parts, with the main act, Jungle, providing dance tunes, the night felt almost like a mini-May Ball or a June Event rather than a fashion show.

However, the fashion on display was what made the evening. Art, imagination and fun combined to produce some of the most crazy, shocking and ludicrous designs. Fashion stole the show with creative designs only the most confident and courageous would dare to wear. It even managed to hide the mediocre commentators on stage. While the designs at some points were, to be frank, bizarre, including the bondage gear and nipple tassels, not to mention the ‘that boy is a hero’ outfit, modelled by Karl – which looked like a hilarious cross between a bouncy castle and a palm tree. Personally, I would not want to wear any of the fashion myself; I would, however, use the show as a source of inspiration.

CUCFS was more about making a bold statement against the stereotypes of what constitutes the University of Cambridge. Cambridge students aren’t stuck in libraries all day because they necessarily enjoy it; they can be cheeky, flirtatious and controversial, and the show was able to bring to attention how repressive and monotonous our current catwalks are. Was the fashion inappropriate or slightly too risqué? Perhaps, but this aside, the show was about celebrating individuality – it’s about time fashion designers look further than size 0. CUCFS broke with tradition and showed the world it is possible to embrace diversity. It will take more than one fashion show to change the modelling world. Nonetheless, CUCFS has shown us that there is hope, and changes to the way that we present fashion are not beyond the bounds of possibility.