WSA students take London fashion scene by storm
Last night Peter Jensen praised the work of Fashion and Textiles students from the University of Southampton's Winchester School of Art. The Danish born, London-based designer joined other industry professionals and fashion scouts to watch a diverse range of collections at the School's London Show. He gave top awards to graduate Verity Pemberton for ‘Fashion Direction' and fellow student Anna Wilkinson for ‘Fashion Textiles'.
The standard of the show was very high across all the collections. I think Verity and Anna designed fashion garments that people want to wear," commented Peter. The audience of industry members were impressed by 16 individual fashion collections on show at London's most exciting venue, Truman Brewery. There were plenty of statement pieces and hand-crafted items to catch the eye, taking the audience on a journey from trailer trash to sculpted objects of desire.
"We have had such a fantastic response from those from industry attending the show. The standard was very high and all the students worked so hard," said Fashion Pathway Leader Cecilia Langemar.
Anna Wilkinson's hand-crafted and digitally produced knitwear garments took inspiration from the eccentricity of Jackie Onassis' relatives as seen in the documentary Grey Gardens. Verity Pemberton's influences combine Oscar Wilde and Napoleon Bonaparte for a dandy-style womenswear collection with plenty of sparkle thanks to sponsorship from Swarovski.
The School continues to have a static show presence at London's Earls Court 2, from 7-11 June at Graduate Fashion Week.
Notes to editors
1. Any media requiring more images of the students work or further information, please contact; Peter Franklin, Media Relations Officer, University of Southampton, Tel 023 8059 5457 Email; p.franklin@soton.ac.uk
2. For student or course related enquiries please contact; Cecilia.Langemar, Pathway Leader for Fashion, Tel 023 8059 6924 Email; cecilia.langemar@soton.ac.uk
3. Graduate Fashion Week is renowned for presenting the very best BA graduate fashion design talent in the UK and attracts fashion scouts from the UK and overseas. http://www.gfw.org.uk/
4. Founded in 1863, Winchester School of Art has an international reputation for research and teaching in art and design, and has links with many other institutions in Europe. WSA merged with the University of Southampton in 1996.
5. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover of more than £370 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres, including the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Web Science Research Initiative, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute.