In 2014 I decided to do something unprecedented in DONT WALK’s history – take advantage of the incredible academic backdrop of the University of St Andrews. I was the first creative director who initiated a direct collaboration with the International Relations department and together with two professors we chose two unique grassroot charities, one in Cameroon, called ANICHRA and the other in Croatia, called CWWPP. Continuing with our focus on the subject of violence, the charities addressed conflict prevention through education & the promotion of universal human rights while the other focused on post-conflict healing and support, respectively.

Again, the ultimate goal, through creative story telling, was to have these charities present in all our artistic campaigns and projects, ultimately using fashion, art and performance as a medium to evoke a political conversation and raise issues through controversy.

The photoshoots were directly influenced by the people who these charities aim to support. The first one, 'Fractured Fiction,' played on the absurdity that people often associate with fashion. I created portraits of our models highlighting the vanity and luxury that fashion is often associated with and placed them side by side, to create a stark contrast, to the portraits of people living in Vukovar, Croatia and Yaounde, Cameroon,. Through this contrast, we are reminded that we live in a world where people live and experience such disparate stories and experiences and that fashion should not be a place of escape but because it is often so disconnected, should all the more become a space of reminder to the issues we often try to avoid. The second shoot was inspired through the late Nelson Mandela and his quote “If we can learn to hate we can be taught to love.” Scenes of love were collaged with scenes of the countries of the charities we supported.

Similarly, the show reflected those very notions and themes of violence, with the theatrical openings considering the role that the young generation plays in becoming active actors in solving issues of conflict, with models marching out in 'futuristic angel' costumes and models ripping up canvases that meant to represent the dismantling of the cognitive frameworks that humans establish, and which often lead to conflicts. The second opening, the lingerie opening, focused on the role of women in patriarchic societies by orchestrating a performance that saw female models transitioning from a position of subordination and dependance to their empowerment and agency of their own bodies and lives -- a metaphor for all minorities.