Fashion: Huddersfield University design students need shoppers’ votes to be the Fashion Star

Apr 9 2009 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

KINGSGATE is hosting an exhibition of cutting-edge, contemporary fashion designs created by students from Huddersfield University.

As well as showcasing the work of six final year fashion students, the aim of the event, which ends on May 10, is to choose a winner who will be awarded the title Fashion Star 09 and a £500 prize.

The competition has been organised by Basilica Marketing on behalf of Kingsgate and while the first of its kind in Huddersfield it has been tried out in other shopping centres.

“It has been very successful in every place where we’ve run it, but Kingsgate is pretty ideal because it is so fashion based, with lots of retailers aiming at 18 to 30 (aged) shoppers,’’ said Mark Lewis from Basilica.

Huddersfield University’s fashion department was asked to select the work of 18 final year fashion degree students who are currently working on their final collections. A judging panel from Basilica and Kingsgate management then chose the six finalists whose work is being displayed in the shopping centre.

“We were looking for the sort of clothes that shoppers can’t buy - fashion led, artistic and contemporary,’’ said fashion tutor Claire Evans.

“The competition is an opportunity for us to show the general public what we do and for the winning student to get enough money to finance their final collection,’’ she added.

All the garments on show are taken from the final year collections of the students: collections that will be seen at the university’s fashion show in the early summer. Such collections are not just an important part of a student’s degree course work, they also act as a ‘shop window’ for the young designers. Prospective employers are invited to the graduate show to spot new talent.