Northumbria presents the future stars of the fashion industry at London Graduate Fashion Week

1st June 2016

Creative designs that reflect the effects of anxiety, delicate dresses with intricate embroidery and outfits to help you fight a zombie apocalypse. These were just some of the innovative creations that the Top 20 students from Northumbria’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree will showcase at London Graduate Fashion Week on 5 June.

The collections, which include six different catwalk outfits per designer or textile sample collection, consist of a combination of womenswear, menswear and constructed textiles designs. Among this year’s Top 20 graduates and future trend-setters are Samuel Beaumont Perkins, Alex McMullen and Courtney Simon, recently featured in The Sunday Times as an emerging fashion star.

Alex’s collection draws on from the influence of Dutch painter Kees Goudzwaard, who creates still life representatives using tonal block colours. Through experimentation of applying surface decoration techniques, such as embellishment and embroidery, to lace and wool, Alex has created an original style of pattern and texture, bringing a fresh approach to classic themes such as plaid. She has designed each garment with the consideration that it should be aesthetically accessible to a range of women at varying ages.

Samuel Beaumont- Perkins’s ‘ANXIETY’ collection of menswear was inspired by the darker side of the mind, representing erratic behavior with swaddle feel and the use of minimalistic red to portray anger/red mist. His creativity and originality have already secured him a full-time position at Old Navy in San Francisco, adding to other successes such as being short-listed in the Graduate Fashion Week Topshop competition.

As for Courtney Simon, her ‘SIMON.C’ collection was inspired by not only The Apartheid but also her Caribbean heritage. Her highly personal womenswear collection highlights some of the key quotes from the Apartheid period and Caribbean culture, including mirror image detail, African print and garment inspiration from African robes.

The other 17 Northumbria students that will show their collections on the GFW catwalk are: Wenyue Zang – Doris; Dora Nachilima; Sinead Meier; Meneske Ercan -Mini; Charlotte Wood; Paige Davidson; Luke Smith; Ellen Crabtree; Hollie Newton; Genevieve Devine; Chloe Hitchinson; Kate Skelton; Jessica Roberts; Vicky McMenigall; Katherine Leigh; Lucy Brown and Roselyn McQuillan.

Janine Hunt, Principal Lecturer, Director of Fashion at Northumbria University, says: “We are thrilled for our students to be part of London Graduate Fashion Show once more. Our graduates have shown a tremendous creative flair during this year that has translated in impressive and striking collections. We are sure that GFW will be a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent, create interesting relationships within the industry and open new doors for their future career. We are very proud of their work and certain that they will achieve success going ahead.”

Along with the top 20 Fashion graduates, students from Fashion, Fashion Design and Marketing and Fashion Communication, will also be showing their final undergraduate year work on the Northumbria Graduate Fashion Week stand. Seven of them have indeed been shortlisted for Exhibition Awards, which will be granted during the Fashion Week.

Katie Speake will be competing for the Drapers Fashion Publication Award, whereas Georgina Colombo is a finalist for the Ethical Award. Juliette Perry is shortlisted for the New Business Award; Nuala Convery and Li Yun (Daphne) Tay are running for the Marketing Award. Finally, Erika Bowes and Li Yun (Daphne) Tay are shortlisted for the Fashion Photography Award.

Northumbria is renowned for nurturing the talent of its fashion students, ensuring they develop their creativity and reach their full potential, so that they are equipped to enter such a highly competitive industry. Previous alumni have joined the ranks of internationally renowned fashion houses and companies, including Burberry, DKNY, Lanvin, Paul Smith, Karen Millen, ASOS, and Zara among many others.

For further information about the show, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/fashionshow.

Interested in studying at Northumbria University? Find out more about us by coming along to one of our Summer Open Days go to: www.northumbria.ac.uk/opendays.