Skills learned during their three years studying on De Montfort University Leicester’s (DMU) renowned Fashion Design course were put to the test when final year students had their work put under the spotlight at a catwalk show.
Models from DMU line-up ready to take to the catwalk in The Gallery
Each student was ‘taken out of their comfort zone’ by being set a task of recreating work by established fashion houses and designers while putting their own stamp on the creations.
The final year students were allocated their designer by Fashion Design course leader Della Swain and her staff to get them working in areas they may not have previously taken on.
The catwalk show was held in DMU’s Gallery, in the Vijay Patel building, in front of staff and fellow students who cast their critical eye over the creations.
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Student Katrina Zaharova, who is originally from Latvia, said: “We put in many days of hard work to see our pieces for 10 seconds on the catwalk. But that is what it is all about and having our work on show made the whole process worthwhile.
“We were given established designers’ work to recreate so we could get to understand how they put things together. It was a challenge and got us thinking and working outside of our comfort zone.”
Fellow student Ross Bester was excited about seeing his creation on the runway.
He said: “It is such a buzz. Everyone is a bit stressed but now the show has begun it is incredibly exciting. These moments on a catwalk are what it all comes down to at the end of the day. The designer I was recreating was Balmain menswear, and I was focussing on embroidery, denim and Swarovski crystals.”
Della Swain said: “This is one of the best projects of the year in terms of what the students learn about designers and themselves. We deliberately pick designers that will present the students with a real challenge and the students really benefit.”
Each year, third year students on the DMU Fashion Design course create a Final Collection. Those judged the best are chosen to represent DMU at the prestigious Graduate Fashion Week catwalk show in London - one of the world's biggest student fashion events. Their garments are worn by professional models in front of representatives from fashion houses and the media.
In June last year Hazel Symon's stunning designs were selected by judges from 1,000 students representing 40 universities to be awarded the Graduate Fashion Week top prize - the Christopher Bailey Gold Award - for creating the best collection.
Posted on Thursday 23 November 2017