Young Bristol women with a passion for fashion attended a clothes swapping event at Knowle West Media Centre.

It was a chance to update their wardrobes by bringing clothes, belts, bags and shoes they no longer wear and exchanging them for something new.

Afterwards they got a glimpse of the drama and glamour of the New York fashion scene with a free screening of The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

The Fashionate event was part of KWMC's autumn arts programme, which runs between October and January.

It was designed to get young women aged 16-20 living in south Bristol involved in producing a fashion show, to be held in April 2010.

Through a series of free workshops and trips, they will become equipped with the technical skills to plan the show, covering topics including music production, photography, lighting and hospitality.

Education and digital media manager Nicky Williams said: "The aim is to encourage more young women to look at getting involved in the creative industries, particularly in technical roles generally held by men. But there will be an opportunity to learn about all aspects of putting on a fashion show including hairdressing and make-up."

The project begins in earnest in December.

Knowle West Media Centre in Leinster Avenue is an award-winning charity that provides exciting experiences for young people in south Bristol in the creative arts.

A series of talks, films, workshops, exhibitions and events is planned across the next two months.

On Monday there will be a talk entitled Are We Ready For It? in KWMC's main studio. It will be about public art in urban areas and who decides what goes where.

American artist Suzanne Lacy is a resident artist at KWMC this autumn.

Her project – University of Local Knowledge – is a collaboration between KWMC and the Arnolfini. The work aims to celebrate the knowledge of the community of Knowle West.

Artist animator Dane Watkins will be developing a new work in November using environmental data gathered from the community.

His work will be shown at the centre early next year.

For more information about the fashion show project, call Nicky Williams or Katie Taylor on 0117 903 0444.