Embellished textiles earn DMU student prestigious bursary


A talented textiles student from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been awarded a £2,500 bursary from an historic guild after his 1960s-inspired designs impressed a panel of judges.

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Final-year Textile Design student Kieran Pathak-Mould has been awarded The David Bethel Bursary by the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters (WCFK), a trade guild dating back to the 16th century which supports the knitting and hosiery industry.

The guild introduced its bursaries and awards scheme in 1985 to encourage students in further and higher education to take an interest in knitting and the knitwear industries by entering an annual competition.

Kieran’s designs were inspired by the emerging trends of the 1960s such as colour and pattern clash, ideas of the impending ‘space age’ and the introduction of fashionable foods and the art of garnish.

He used different combinations of glass beads and some acetate sequins to create the designs and looked towards iconic designers of the time such as André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Zandra Rhodes and Mary Quant.

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The 23-year-old, from Leicester, said: “It is amazing to win the money which will come in handy when buying yarns, mainly. I prefer to use Merino yarn, which can be quite expensive.

“I also use embellishments on my knits, so I will use the money to buy beads and other embellishments.”

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The £2,500 bursary also comes with a mentorship and Kieran will be assisted by Jan Leaf, who was for many years a director of Nottinghamshire-based textiles firm Martin Emprex PLC.

It’s particularly pertinent that The David Bethel Bursary has been won by a DMU student as Mr Bethel, a former member of the WCFK’s governing body, was a director of what used to be DMU in the 1970-80s, and was a key figure in helping it attain university status.

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There were 48 entrants from 17 institutions for the guild’s awards this year and the selection process saw a WCFK judging panel visit each college to interview the applicants. The scheme is funded by liverymen and the guild’s associated industries.

Nicola Taylor, Programme Leader for Textile Design at DMU, said: “We are delighted for Kieran. The standard of applications was very high and from a wide range of universities and institutions, making this achievement even more commendable.”

Past master George Turner, chairman of the WCFK’s Education Committee, said: “Kieran demonstrated a high degree of artistic talent, design ability and understanding of the knitting medium. We wish him every success in the future.

Kieran will be invited to a guild banquet this autumn being held at Fishmongers’ Hall in London where he will receive his award parchment.

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He was also part of DMU’s exciting trip to Paris earlier this month for Premièr Vision, one of the fashion industry’s most prominent exhibitions. Building on the success of the last five years, DMU students from two courses – Textile Design, and Fashion Textiles and Accessories – showcased their designs at the highly-anticipated event.

The three-day show is attended by some 55,000 people from more than 120 countries who share fashion ideas, do business, work and build their forthcoming collections.

Previous DMU students to win bursaries from the guild include Mary-Emma Brooks, Naomi Lobley, Kimberley Phillips, Emily Lowsley-Williams, Jodie Mitchell and Sarika Pancholi.

Posted on Monday 27 February 2017

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