Northampton College students are busy preparing for their annual fashion show which, this year, takes place on Wednesday 21st June with two shows, one at 4pm and a second at 8pm. This year’s catwalk presentation is showcasing the range of work both first and second year level 3 students have completed throughout this term, writes Julie Teckman.
The first year collection is a fully accessorised printed separates collection, designed to the theme of ‘Colouring Book’. The screen printed fabric has been designed and produced in-house by the students themselves, as have the slogan totes and oversized clutches. The project has elements of the oversized theme, so prevalent at this year’s Graduate fashion Week.
Second years have produced a range of outerwear inspired by the local shoe company Grenson. The grey wool and red scuba combination offers a heritage-sport hybrid flavour to the garments. The second year capsule collections are inspired by a vast and diverse range of research including African influences, Contemporary Film, Italian Architecture and Japan.
Northampton College fashion students have once again been successful in the annual international millinery competition run by the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers of London and competing against undergraduates and professional milliners across Europe. Jude Mander won the award for Craftsmanship and Sarra Haji won the award for Artwork and Presentation. Both students will receive cash prizes and continue with the highly successful tradition of high quality hat design and production that has become a trademark of the course.
Northampton College has a number of routes into fashion, including the level 3 Diploma in Fashion and Clothing and the HND in Digital Fashion which focuses on developing skills in trend forecasting, styling, blogging and working in the sustainable fashion industry. Rachel Maughan, Head of Fashion at Northampton College says “The fashion industry is a valuable part of the creative and cultural industries in this country, and the development of digital technology means that one can be based anywhere in the world and work with clients in any other country.” Students on the course are encouraged to be creative, entrepreneurial and forward thinking and further information about the courses or the fashion show can be found on the College website at www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk/courses/.
