The Penarth-raised designer sold raffle tickets to win the skirt on her website and donated the money to Wyndham St Pantry
A WELSH fashion designer has raised £650 for Wyndham St Pantry by giving away one of her designs in a raffle.
Rosie Evans, who grew up in Penarth, sold raffle tickets for £5 each in exchange for the opportunity to win a skirt designed by her.
The piece was designed and made from material donated to Ms Evans by friends.
“I thought that as I had been donated the fabric I might as well make something that I could give away and raise money from it,” said the 27-year-old.
The money raised was donated to Wyndham St Pantry in Riverside which offers £25 worth of food for £5 to those who are struggling to afford their weekly shop.
The raffle was open for five days at the end of December with South Riverside Community Development Centre (SRCDC) announcing this week that the money had now been donated to the pantry.
Ms Evans’ dad recently started a managing role at Wyndham St Pantry, which was what inspired her to raise money for the centre.
“I’ve volunteered there a few times and it’s just a really lovely community,” said Ms Evans.
“I’ve been told by my dad that the money raised will go towards buying a new freezer for the pantry so that they can store more food and help more people.”
She said that some individuals bought as many as 10 auction tickets, donating £50 to the cause.
The total raised was £650 and the skirt was won by a lady from France.
Ms Evans said that she was excited to see people who may have never heard of Cardiff now owning one of her designs.
“It was also a nice opportunity for people who wanted to buy one of my designs but couldn’t afford to,” she said.
Although Ms Evans now lives in Brighton, her work is still heavily influenced by her Welsh heritage.
Right: Welsh symbols have a strong influence on Ms Evans’ work
She participated in after-school fashion classes at Llanover Hall Arts Centre in Canton and went on to study fashion design at university in Bristol.
She felt discouraged by the lack of sustainability within the fashion industry and started to work on her brand during lockdown.
She enjoys mixing modern and traditional elements such as combining miniskirts with heavier knits.
“I started looking at Welsh culture and poetry as inspiration because I realised that not a lot of brands do it,” she said.
A spokesperson for the centre said: “SRCDC and Riverside Pantry at Wyndham St Centre would like to thank all those who generously participated and special thanks to Rosie herself both for organising the raffle and contributing one of her amazing creations as a prize.”
- Miss Evans’ work can be found on her Instagram @rosieevansonline or her online shop www.rosieevans.online
- You can find more about the SRCDC on their website
