Forget dress-down Friday, here comes Tutu Thursday

Pupils raise Dh15,000 with tulle creations for housing charity Habitat for Humanity.

Pupils at the American International School show off some of the tutus they made to sell to classmates and teachers to help raise a cash donations for the charity Habitat for Humanity in Indonesia. Ravindranath K / The NationalShow less

ABU DHABI // Tutu Thursday at the American International School isn't just about donning sparkly tulle for fun - the fashion parade is also helping to build homes for the poor in Indonesia.

When about 20 teenagers at the school started making and selling the tutus last month, none of them imagined that their after-school activity would become such a lucrative charitable enterprise.

"We were like, no way is anyone going to buy them for Dh100," said Leila Seffar, 16, from Morocco.

But by yesterday, the second-to-last day of their fund-raiser, the students had sold about 250 tutus and made Dh15,000.

All of the profits will go to the Indonesian branch of Habitat for Humanity, an organisation that builds housing for the needy.

"We are better off than a lot of people," said Xenia Wiliams, a 16-year-old student from Wales. "It's good to have a chance to help others."

In the process, the boys and girls said they had learnt how to manage a business as well as meet deadlines.

"It's like a little cottage industry," said their faculty supervisor, Leanne Fleming, co-ordinator of the school's creativity, action and service programme.

The students are now more prepared for the challenges they will face in February, when they plan to travel to Northern Bali to build homes with Habitat for Humanity, Ms Fleming said.

"All of us have been working together really well," said Dorien van Heerden, 18, from South Africa.

"It's very exciting," added Taymour Bouran, 17, from Jordan. "It's very new. I've never done this before, giving back to society."

Ms Fleming came up with the idea for the fund-raiser this summer when she attended a craft show in Canada where a friend was selling tutus, she said.

All students in the International Baccalaureate programme must complete 150 hours of projects involving creative skills, physical activity or community service.

Ms Fleming first recruited the 16 students participating in the Bali trip and other students also volunteered, including a 10-year-old primary student, the sister of one of the older girls.

"It seemed like kind of an amusing idea that could be interesting," Ms Fleming said. "But we didn't know if it was going to be successful or not."

The students made the skirts by hand after school and on weekends. The method was simple, Ms Fleming said. One student sewed elastic for the waist. Other students cut lengths of tulle and knotted them around the elastic. "They were really great about it, especially our Grade 12 boys," Ms Fleming said.

"Before it took me an hour and a half to make one, but now I can make a few in that time," Taymour said.

The students created a video advertisement and made flyers to post around the school. They sold the tutus during their lunch hour, with a swatch board showing different colours and clever names for their designs: Tinkerbell, Gryffindor, Divine Deluxe.

The most popular model was "Ocean Breeze", a purple-and-turquoise design with silvery-white accents, Leila said.

The tutus sold for Dh100 each and the "deluxe" models, with sparkly tulle, sold for Dh150. They were a surprise hit with a variety of customers: primary students, secondary students, even teachers, Ms Fleming said.

On designated "Tutu Thursdays", students were allowed to wear their tutus to school, layering them over other outfits. The tutus were especially popular on Halloween, Dorien said.

Yesterday, the boys and girls gathered in the school's library to show off their work, fluffing a pile of tulle on a table and trying on their wares. The fund-raiser done, they now have their trip to Bali to look forward to, they said, plus a few more Tutu Thursdays.