News: Fashion students strut their stuff on the catwalk

Nottingham’s St Mary’s Gate Church became a stunning backdrop for a catwalk fashion show on 12th and 13th June for Nottingham College Fashion students' End of Year catwalk show, which wowed an audience of friends, family, College staff and guests.

The exciting show featured a variety of innovative and original collections, including a mix of styles, themes and materials, from 1950’s Rock and Roll to Celtic mythology, traditional Japanese dress and sportswear.

Sophie Edis, 21, is progressing to the University of Edinburgh to study Performance Costume. Her ‘Crowd of Gods’ costume collection, themed around Celtic mythology, featured two intricately-designed floor-length corset dresses. She said: “My collection was definitely a labour of love. The two gowns took me 12 weeks to complete and cost more than £600 to make, but it was worth it when my pieces finally came together for the show.

“I grew up loving pantomimes, theatres and operas and that’s where my interest in costume design stems from. I really enjoy theatrical styles and this course has given me the ability to experiment and explore new techniques. It’s scary but I’m really looking forward to starting uni in September.”

Alongside finishing their final projects, Foundation Degree Fashion students Jessica Wheatley, 24 and Rachel Gretton, 37, have been busy launching their new personal styling business Style Shuffle. “It’s been a bit of a juggling act, trying to make our final garments and getting our business off the ground but it’s really exciting”, said Rachel.

“As part of our course we got the opportunity to do the styling for a Marks & Spencer catwalk show for Nottingham Fashion Week which we learnt so much from, adds Jessica. “Experiences like this have been so useful to us, particularly when making business contacts and getting a real feel for what’s expected in the industry. We’ve worked so hard on both the course and the business, and now we’re just eager to see where it takes us.”

Rachel and Jessica formed part of the static fashion show, on display in the entrance area of St Mary’s Gate Church. The show included a diverse range from Foundation Degree students, from pattern cutting to fashion forecasting.

Other designs on the catwalk included: Aimee Beecham’s ‘Volatile’ collection, themed on mental institutions; Destini Henry’s ‘Cerebro’ collection, about split personalities; and Fraser Crossley’s ‘Sissy Boy’ collection, themed on eighteenth-century gay subculture.

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