Fashion Shows 2006
Catwalk shows profile designers of the future
Final year fashion students from Liverpool John Moores University showed off their new collections at a series of catwalk shows on Wednesday 31 May. Thanks to sponsorship from the Liverpool Culture Company, this year's two shows took place in Liverpool's World Museum.
The 29 final-year fashion students have been working for over nine months to get their collections together and each had the opportunity to showcase six designs on the catwalk.
Thanks to students' mix of ages, gender and nationality, the collections are very eclectic, as Delphine Wilson, LJMU's Head of Fashion and Textiles, explains: ''The graduate collections are very diverse and individual in nature, ranging from sophisticated concepts around subverted tailoring through to edgy retro eighties themes. The emphasis is very much on creating independent creative designers, who have real design talent and a strong idea of contemporary style''.
Following the LJMU fashion shows, the students headed off to London for Graduate Fashion Week, one of the largest and most exciting graduate design event in the UK. In the past, graduates have used the event as a platform to sell their designs and secure placements with leading fashion designers such as Paul Smith and Donna Karen.
Delphine Wilson continues: ''Graduate Fashion Week is a great opportunity for graduates. Not only can they showcase their designs but representatives from leading companies, such as River Island, Denza International, Firetrap, International Textiles and Ted Baker, are on hand to offer commercial advice and exciting placement opportunities.
"Our Textiles graduate also go to New Designers which likewise provides that essential bridge from graduation to industry. Our graduates are sure to rank among the next generation of influential designers who will shape future trends in fashion, textiles, interior design and much more.''
The outstanding calibre of LJMU's fashion students is reflected in the fact that three graduating students have been awarded postgraduate scholarships to study at the Domus Academy in Milan, Italy in 2007, when it will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Only 10 colleges worldwide will receive these anniversary scholarships, with LJMU being the only UK recipient. What's more, the Domus Academy was so impressed with the calibre of LJMU's students that it awarded not one but three scholarships to Charla Haworth, Lauren Naylor and Danielle Windsor (pictured opposite outside the Liverpool World Museum).
