KINGSTON COLLEGE FASHION STUDENTS DESIGN FOR BENTALLS

 

NEWS RELEASE

1 May 2007

 

 

KINGSTON COLLEGE FASHION STUDENTS DESIGN FOR BENTALLS

 

 

Exclusive T-shirt designs on sale in Bentalls Kingston, May-June

 

 

 

Don’t miss a visit to Bentalls Kingston’s Urban Lounge in June for a chance to purchase an exclusive T-shirt by young local designers.  In a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, the T-shirts have been especially designed by Kingston College students as part of a collaborative project with Bentalls to create a range of customised T-shirts inspired by the 1960s – a major fashion trend this season.  

 

 

 

 

 

Bentalls’ fashion experts reviewed designs created by 48 students (aged 16-19) in April, and selected designs from six to be produced to professional quality. The winning T-shirts will be on sale in the store’s Urban Lounge section from May 24th and in June will be exhibited in the Penny School Gallery and featured in the annual Kingston College Fashion Show.  The initiative gives the College students an insight into the ‘real world’ of fashion design and retailing, and a taste of a future career in the fashion industry.

 

 

The Bentalls fashion buying team was extremely impressed with the students’ creativity, research and understanding of the Bentalls’ Urban Lounge customer, and announced an additional ‘best brand’ award  to one team for its ‘Brighter Daze’ label. “The standard was much higher than we expected and many of the designs were as good as we could expect from any commercial supplier,” comments Vicky Kavanagh, Womenwear Buyer at Bentalls. 

 

 

The Kingston College winners are Shukura Grouse (17), Kirsty Maltby (17), Hannah Mathiot (16), Charlotte Moore (18), Jodie O’Donoghue (17), Jennifer Withnall (19). “”I am amazed and thrilled,” said Charlotte Moore.”We are so lucky to have had this opportunity for real business experience. It has been inspiring.”

 

 

Comments Maia Diver, the College’s Head of Fashion Faculty: “The students were hugely inspired by the Bentalls’ brief and enthusiastically rose to the challenge. It is very rewarding that their talents and energy have been recognised, which I know will be an inspiration when planning their future career paths.”  As first year National Diploma fashion students they have another year before selecting the university courses they wish to apply for.

 

 

48 students worked in teams of nine to respond to a special brief by Bentalls which required them to study the fashion trends of the 1960s – choosing from themes of Space Age, Slogan/Protest, The Summer of Love or Pop/Op Art. They also had to research their marketplace, working out what attracts fashion-conscious Bentalls customers, and develop a marketing plan to include brand, logo design, pricing, labels and packaging.

 

 

The enterprising project is the first collaboration between Kingston College’s Centre for Business Enterprise, its School of Art, Design & Media and Bentalls Kingston, in association with Fashion Enter – a social enterprise set up to provide support and business advice for emerging fashion designers.

 

 

Comments Liz Ogilvie, Director of Business Enterprise at Kingston College: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our Fashion students, and we’re delighted to be working in partnership with such an important local employer.” 

 

 

Jenny Holloway, Director of Fashion Enter, says: “There are reportedly over 7,000 students leaving higher education fashion courses each year, so it is vitally important to engage with industry so they have a complete understanding of how commerce works in today’s highly competitive fashion business.”

 

 

ENDS

 

www.kingston-college.ac.uk   www.bentalls.co.uk   www.fashion-enter.com www.fashioncapital.co.uk