Dame Rhodes, a figurehead in the UK fashion industry who has styled legendary figures such as singers Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan as well as the late Diana Princess of Wales, is helping pensioners design their bespoke Zandra-inspired clothes and shoes.
Dame Rhodes, 84, a pioneer of British and international fashion since the late 60’s is as a figurehead for a pioneering club – Goldster – which is creating healthy ageing communities across the UK.
She says her mission is to help people over sixty gain social confidence by wearing stylish clothes and by creating their own designs.
Projects include decorating their own trainers with squeezy paints, “I covered mine in daisies” she said, and creating their own “fashionable” pinafores.
She said: “It is easy to lose confidence as you get older and it is easier for older people to be left out and left to rot in the corner.
“When you are young you don’t have time to think about things – you get swept along with youth. But as you age you have more time and many older people dress as if they don’t like to be noticed.
“The worst thing is to drift into being alone. It is important older people dress for confidence and not shut themselves away. Looking good makes you pull yourself together. one needs to convince people to try things out and in my Goldster classes I am very open to different ideas that people want to try.”
She believes technology is one of the reasons why so many people are suffering from a feeling of loneliness.
“Gone are the times when people used to chat on the phone or on the tube. Now it’s just a text and ‘vaboom’. It’s sad. I think loneliness has increased in this digital world and it is easier for people to hide away behind a screen or in front of a TV and people don’t notice you anymore. Everything can be delivered and it is no longer necessary to meet and engage with people. More and more people are sitting in ‘outer space’ on their mobile phones. It is scary how the art of conversation has gone,” she said.
She added: “I’m not plugged into a headset. I don’t want to disappear into another world. I am not rotting into non-existence. I make an effort. If I don’t put on makeup someone will inevitably take a sneaky picture of me putting out the bins. Looking good makes you pull yourself together and being with people is the most important thing.
“As an artist and designer I am lucky as I am still working with other people including younger people who are young enough to be my grandchildren. I am worried about what is happening to older people and I want to do something about it.”
However she said fashion design doesn’t always come easily to her: “When I look back over the celebrities and artists I have designed for it is a pleasure and a dream. I am lucky people come to me and ask for certain styles. However it doesn’t always go right. I made an outfit for Rod Stewart which didn’t suit him and he didn’t want it. I get days when I haven’t got a clue as a designer and there are times when I run out of ideas. On those days I just cover a whole lot of sheets of paper with rubbish.”
But she refuses to let her age dominate her life: “I don’t think about my age. It exists, but there’s no point in dwelling on it. I acknowledge it – you wouldn’t catch me dead in a mini dress. But I would adapt and wear it with trousers, painted sneakers and bright socks. You don’t have to dress in dreary colours.”
Mike Reid, CEO and founder of Goldster said: “It’s wonderful Zandra is using her amazing skills and talents on Goldster to help people be healthier. Building confidence, using your hands in new ways, learning new skills for the brain and socialising with a wide group … Zandra is bringing health to people in ways they love.”