Posted Friday 18 September 2009
The rising stars' collections formed the centrepiece of Kingston University's Body Lab, one of the highlights of Vauxhall Fashion Scout's opening day activities on Friday September 18. The event attracted a bevy of buyers, industry experts and journalists from around the globe.
Rachel's collection, The Skin I Am In, drew on her Celtic heritage, mixing a blush colour palette with flowing silk jersey fabrics, structured leather pieces and corsetry. It also included distinctive draping introduced to symbolise wrinkles formed during the aging process. Niamh meanwhile took the inspiration for her line-up of sports couture, simply titled NOC, from a game of musical statues and her fascination with everyday human movement, mannerisms and expressions. Her garments featured exaggerated shaping to highlight the silhouettes created by different poses complemented by a kaleidoscope of colourful print.
Kingston's MA Fashion programme has already earned a stream of plaudits from across the sector. Clive van Heerden, senior director for Philips Design, has praised it for filling a major gap in fashion and textile education in the United Kingdom and Europe by coupling original thinking with cutting edge design. Philippa Wagner, materials innovation consultant for leading style forecaster WGSN, has also commended the course for blending insightful design with an awareness of future thinking. "Encompassing the greater understanding that our clothes are not just about aesthetics, but embracing some of the early understanding of clothing - for protection, warmth, comfort, tribal belonging and as a second skin, Kingston University's MA offers a platform for students to experiment, direct and, most importantly, innovate," she said.
Other highlights of Kingston's Vauxhall Fashion Scout premiere included an opportunity for the
Vauxhall Fashion Scout director Martyn Roberts said he was delighted Kingston University had joined the event in its brand new venue in central London's Freemasons' Hall. "The past few years have seen Kingston produce some truly great talent and we firmly believe that, with the development of this MA presentation, the University will grow to become one of the main focal points for emerging talent within London Fashion Week," he said.
Kingston University is widely regarded as one of the United Kingdom's foremost centres for fashion education. Graduates from its BA (Hons) course have gone on to senior posts in a range of leading labels including Armani, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Gap, Givenchy, Karen Millen, MaxMara, Missoni, Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood and Yves Saint Laurent.
19 June 2024
17 June 2024