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Wednesday 23 April 2008

Fashion student triumphs in national design event

Nottingham Trent University student Alicia Stone walked away with the top prize at the 2008 Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) Competition last night, with her design praised as ‘wearable, buyable and covetable’ by fashion journalist and jury member Melanie Rickey (Fashion Features & News Editor, Grazia).

A deceptively simple yet stunning design in a grey and white palette, interspersed with eye catching yellow and vibrant red detailing and accessories, displayed an innovative take on the brief which asked students to create one outfit that could be transformed through additional layers, altering its silhouette to create a new outfit from the original piece. Alicia Stone’s design received a unanimous vote from the jury and won her £2,000 and a work-placement in Madrid with prestigious Spanish brand Hoss Intropia.

Alicia, a final year Fashion Design student in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Art and Design, said: ‘I am so, so happy and grateful to FAD for giving me this opportunity. The cash prize will definitely help with my final year collection and I am really looking forward to going to Madrid. During the evening FAD put me in touch with many people who offered me even more opportunities – I had a fantastic night.”

Fashion Design course leader at Nottingham Trent University, Gilly Staples, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Alicia and we are all extremely proud; she certainly has a really bright future ahead of her. The university performed exceptionally in this competition, with two other students, Terri Dewhurst and Bonnie Yau, among the 12 finalists.”

All the finalists saw their work showcased in a catwalk show and exhibition as part of the 2008 FAD Competition at the Music Room, South Molton Lane. Arranged by the leading educational fashion charity, Fashion Awareness Direct, the competition aims to highlight and support the UK’s most promising student designers by providing a platform for them to showcase to the industry as well as providing the winners with financial support for their final year collection.

The event is heavily supported by the fashion industry and this year’s jury comprised a panel with a reputation for spotting new talent; Melanie Rickey (Fashion News and Features Editor, Grazia), Luisa de Paula (Buying & Merchandising Director, My-wardrobe.com), and Francesca Forcolini (owner of acclaimed London boutique, Labour of Love) lent their industry expertise to select the winners from a collection of strong designs from the 12 finalists.

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Notes for editors:

2008 FAD Competition Jury

The panel of jury supporting this event are experts from their respected fields and include:

Abigail Ashton, Director, Ashton Porter Architects
Francesca Forcolini, Owner, Labour of Love
Louise de Caires, Creative Director, Fashion Awareness Direct
Luisa de Paula, Merchandising & Buying Director, My-wardrobe.com
Melanie Rickey, Fashion Features & News Editor, Grazia Magazine
Prof. Hugo de Berg, Director of the China Media Centre, University of Westminster
Terri Cohen, First Prize winner, 2006 FAD Competition

2008 FAD Competition Finalists