Goldie's founder, Rebecca Weef Smith, set out on a personal mission to portray to a wider audience that style can be ageless and how fashion can be used as a catalyst for positive change. Building a community of devoted readers, the publication is also interacting with readers through physical installations and experiences, following on from their first event which took place on 15th February.
The show, 'Andy's Catwalk', came to fruition after a real-life experience Weef Smith encountered during London Fashion Week Mens in 2019. "I was dashing to a presentation on the last day of fashion week when I grabbed a coffee in a café in Soho." Weef Smith recalls, "A rather dashing chap complimented me on the coat I was wearing, one thing led to another and after the menswear event, I returned to the café and spent a few hours talking to him, learning all about his life." The gentleman, Andy Palfreyman, had been homeless for over thirty years but in surviving this ordeal he had maintained a love for fashion throughout this time. He realised his desire to dress well had helped towards his wellbeing during those tough years.
Following on from this initial introduction, Andy mentioned an idea which had come to him for a fashion show which showcased charity shop clothes and how it could be used to dress those living on the streets of London. Thinking over the concept, Weef Smith made it a reality, resulting in the catwalk show which took place in The Swiss Church on Endell Street in Covent Garden.
