When fashion professionals fly from Italy and Dubai to Leicester for a student fashion show, you know something special is happening,
writes Fidele Lungieki
That was the case at De Montfort University Leicester's (DMU) annual Contour Fashion catwalk, where international industry leaders joined UK brands and retailers to watch final-year students unveil collections that left audiences "blown away".
Representatives from leading fashion brands, manufacturers and retailers travelled from across the UK, Italy and Dubai to attend the showcase, which celebrated the creativity and technical excellence of this year's graduating Contour Fashion students.
Among them was Giorgio Cavallini, of Italian fabric manufacturer Carvico, which supplies specialist fabrics to students throughout their studies who flew in from Italy to see the show. He said: “This is on a par with a professional catwalk anywhere. The designs were amazing. I remember the very first show I came to, 15 years ago, it was not at this level.”
Also making a plane journey to Leicester were Cat Watson, creative director and Quraisha Sheikh, senior lingerie designer for Nayomi and Dream, the leading lingerie brand in the Middle East which has 170 stores.
Cat said: “For us, it's being able to support the talent of the future. It's such an important part of the industry and we were just blown away by what we have seen."
The praise continued throughout the evening from industry professionals who judged the students' work.
Hannah Burras, Head of Design at Panache and a DMU graduate herself, had seen the students' work develop from its earliest concepts.
"We saw the work at the beginning of their projects when they were still at sketchbook stage. You can definitely see how it has evolved. It's lovely to see it at the beginning and the end of their journeys."
Designer Megan Long, also from Panache, simply described the collections as "fabulous work".
Faye Pitsillides, buyer at George at Asda, was equally impressed. She said: "It was really good. There was on trend work and the stage layout was good, very professional."
David Wall, Managing Director of Shadowline Hub, said this year's showcase was among the strongest he had attended. He said: "I thought it was glamorous and it was well constructed and wearable. Among the best I have seen."
For the students, the show marked the culmination of months of hard work, creativity and mutual support.
Lakeisha Sibanda said: "We had a lot of support and the best thing is we have been here for each other. It's a really good experience. It's taught me a lot as a designer. It's pushed me as well. Trying to imagine it on the catwalk. I have no words what it is like watching your designs come to life."
Bukola Babalola, whose collection included leather garments, described seeing her work on the runway as an emotional moment.
"It's amazing," she said. "Seeing it on the catwalk was a bit overwhelming to be honest, you don't take it in."
Rachel Toner, Programme Leader for Contour Fashion, praised both the creativity and professionalism on display.
"What a show!" she said. "We feel the talent we witnessed from all of our students was just incredible. I'm very proud of each of them and what they have achieved on every level."
Industry partners also presented awards recognising exceptional achievement.
Stretchline's Caroline Ellmore, who judged the Technical Award, praised the standard of work across every collection.
"There was so much to choose from when we got the opportunity to go into the back room and look really closely at the garments," she said. "There was so much ready to wear commercial pieces, beautifully designed and made. The fabric manipulation treatments blew us away: how every single one of you thought beyond what was in front of you."
Awards went to: Izzy Devaney for the Technical Award; Nichole Newman the Creative Award and Maddie Bowness picked up the Endeavour Award.
Styling for the Contour Fashion brochure and the show was done by Here Come The Blondes
Posted on Wednesday 15 July 2026