How 60 Students Brought Sustainable Fashion to Life at Long Beach

What does sustainability look like when it steps onto a runway?

On Earth Day, at Long Beach Mauritius, 60 students from Ebène State Secondary School Girls helped bring an ocean-facing eco-fashion show to life, with around 30 taking to the runway in outfits created from repurposed and low-impact materials, including old hotel towels, bed sheets, paper cups, paper plates, bin bags and many more everyday items. Materials that might have been overlooked were cut, folded, stitched, and reimagined into something bold.

This was Waves of Hope, a student-led eco-fashion show shaped by more than 5,000 hours of creativity, guided by 10 educators, and brought to life with Sunlife as part of its Marine Conservation Programme.

Fashion with something to say

The runway was set on the green lawn at Long Beach, with the Indian Ocean just beyond it. One by one, the student models stepped forward in designs that asked people to look again at what we use, what we set aside and what we choose to give a second life.

Old hotel linens became part of flowing silhouettes. Paper plates and cups turned into sculptural details. Bin bags made a bold statement. These were just some of the materials brought into play, each one chosen to spark a different way of thinking about sustainability.

There was joy in it. There was courage too.

For many of the girls, this was their first time stepping beyond the classroom in this way. They were not only presenting garments. They were discovering what it feels like to stand tall, be seen and carry a message of their own.

Each outfit spoke about marine conservation, circular thinking and the power of young people to imagine things differently. Not through long speeches. Through movement. Through texture. Through a runway filled with bright ideas.

Some students were nervous at first. But as the show went on, they grew more confident with every step.

A dream, one year in the making

Waves of Hope did not begin on the catwalk.

In 2025, Ebène SSS Girls entered Sunlife’s Marine Biodiversity Conservation Award, part of the Sunlife Marine Conservation Programme. Their idea was ambitious: to explore the possibility of an eco-fashion show centred on ocean protection and sustainable living.

They won first place.

A year later, that idea returned to Long Beach, no longer as a proposal, but as a living, breathing event. Over months, students grew from shy participants into confident creators, learning to design, to perform and to believe in what they had to say. Watch the behind the scenes preparation for the Eco-Fashion Show HERE.

They had their stage. Their garments had their moment. Their message had an audience.

And what an audience it was. The event welcomed Dr M. Mahend Gungaparsad, Minister of Education and Human Resources, and Her Excellency Kate Chamley, Australian High Commissioner to Mauritius, alongside partners, educators, students’ families, and guests.

It was a proud day for the school. A bright day for Long Beach. And a hopeful day for everyone who believes change can start with one good idea, given the space to grow.

A collective effort

Waves of Hope came alive through many hands.

In addition to Sunlife, the project was supported by CIEL Group and CIEL Textile, with key partners including the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, the Australian High Commission, the Centre of Research Excellence in Sustainable Marine Biodiversity, and the University of Mauritius.

Together, they helped turn a student concept into a shared moment of education, creativity and community action.

That spirit was felt throughout the evening. Teachers cheering from the side. Students holding their heads high. Guests leaning in to catch every detail. The ocean close by, quietly reminding everyone what the day was really about.

Why it matters

Earth Day often asks us to think big. About climate. About oceans. About the future.

Waves of Hope brought those thoughts closer.

On an island where the ocean shapes both identity and livelihood, pollution and climate change are not distant ideas. They are lived realities. For these students, this was more than a project. It was personal.

It showed that sustainability does not have to feel distant or difficult to understand. It can be worn. Shared. Applauded. It can begin in a classroom, pass through many hands and arrive on a runway by the sea.

For the students, it was a chance to speak through design. For the audience, it was a chance to see everyday materials differently. For Sunlife, it was another step in a continuing commitment to protect the natural world that makes Mauritius shine.

A lighter way forward

By the end of the show, the message was clear: Sustainable fashion can be full of imagination. Young people can lead with purpose. And a green lawn facing the Indian Ocean can become a runway with something important to say.

Waves of Hope began as an idea. For the students who lived it, it became something more: a turning point. A moment where creativity met purpose. Where nerves gave way to confidence. Where a new generation began to see that they are not just part of the future, they have the power to shape it.

On an island shaped by the sea, these young voices are already making themselves heard. Not loudly. Not with grand gestures. But with colour, courage and a runway full of ideas.