THERE was plenty of sharp style on display at Okehampton College last Friday night at an all-male fashion show to remember popular teacher Ed Davis – and highlight the issue of young male suicide.

The fashion show saw young men from Years 10 and 11 strut their stuff on the catwalk, with outfits donated by John Lewis in Exeter as well as Shoe King and the Children’s Hospice South West shop in Tavistock.

Most of the students taking part were from Okehampton College, with two others from Tavistock drama group SJS Arts. The event raised money for the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA).

Ed, who had been a special needs and drama teacher at the college on and off since 2005, took his own life in April this year. The popular member of the school community, who lived in Tavistock with his family, had endured a long battle with mental illness.

His wife Harriet, also a teacher at the college, organised the fashion show in his memory. She and Ed’s daughter Charlotte Davis sang at the event, which also featured the dancers of SJS Dance in Tavistock, and in a lighthearted gesture one of the young men wore Harriet’s wedding dress on the catwalk.

Harriet said: ‘The idea for the male fashion show came from one of the students who came to Ed’s funeral in a fabulous outfit, it looked lovely, and that started the whole thing off. I wanted it to be a positive and joyful event and it was.

‘It did raise a lot of funds but it was primarily about raising awareness. I wanted it to concentrate on young men because they are much more successful at committing suicide then women.

‘Unfortunately my husband suffered from mental illness all his life and that isn’t something that is talked about. Boys don’t tend to see any way out. We need to talk about it more.'