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University of East London showcase collections at Graduate Fashion Week

Friday 8 June 2012

Aimee Ward

(Picture: Aimee Ward's GFW 2012 collection)

Final year or graduating Fashion students from University of East London (UEL) will be exhibiting their exciting end-of-year collections on Sunday 10th June at 1pm as part of Graduate Fashion Week (GFW). The prestigious event will take place at Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre in London with GFW running from Sunday, 10 June to Wednesday, 13 June. GFW historically provides a platform for the very best of student fashion and design talent. The innovative collections will be showcased alongside 40 other universities from across the UK with judges Christopher Bailey, Suzy Menkes, Daphne Guinness and Fiona Lambert from title sponsor’s George at Asda to judge the £20,000 George Gold Award.

The UEL catwalk show will feature the collections of graduating students, some of whom are already becoming a fast name in the highly competitive fashion industry.

Aimee Ward has been billed as this year’s GFW ‘rising star’ (Evening Standard, Thursday, 31 May). Her designs have been inspired by an underwater paradise to create an evening wear collection. Each piece has a couture feel with high attention to detail, layers of sea anemone inspired silk chiffon shapes and three dimensional fish scales. Strips of woven leather stand free over corsetry to epitomise femininity and power.

Felippe Johann is inspired by the passionate exotic wildlife found in Brazil, focussing on wasps, insects and uses actual beetle wings on one of his garments. ‘Hidden creatures’ provides the notion that women are potent creatures, never hidden, but vibrant and alive.

Francesca Air has worked in placements across an illustrious range of fashion houses from FrostFrench (the fashion house of Actress Sadie Frost), Agent Provocateur and renowned shoe designer Jimmy Choo. Her collection ‘Sami Nights’ reflects the Nordic lights and their reflection on landscape and the oversized clothing of the Sami Tribe.

Helen Butcher has worked under the fashion house of the Grande Dame of British Design Vivienne Westwood. ‘Shanghai Express’ is inspired by the carefree attitude of the 1930s, with dropped waists and prints influenced by the graphic style of art deco.

Terri-Leigh Finnegan ‘Liberte ou la Morte’ (Freedom or Death) has been influenced by the Caribbean island of Haiti and the uprising of African and Creole slaves in the late 1790s, which led to the infamous Haitian revolution. With use of natural materials such as raffia, cotton and wool, Terri-Leigh explores the fusion of voodoo, ancestral memory, political satire and personal revelation of this mystical Caribbean island.

Other designers amongst the 20 showcasing work from UEL include Uma Kangai with a fantasy fairy-tale collection ‘Through Rose Tinted Glasses’, Rachel Loudon ‘Linear London’ and Rajinder Thandi ‘Worn Again’ collection inspired by colliers and tradesmen. Collections will be shown to an audience of celebrities, buyers, designers, press and media. Last year’s success stories saw Designer Le Thi Le Thuy win ITV’s ‘This Morning Viewers Award’ and go onto work with George at Asda.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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