Two talented students at the University of Huddersfield have created clothes fit for a princess – or two.
For after seeing their designs, Princess Beatrice has announced plans to bring her sister Eugenie along for a fitting session.
Princess Beatrice paid a special visit to the university’s town centre campus to see the creations designed and made up by Amy Bean and Celine Constantinides, who are in the second year of their Fashion Design with Textiles BA course.
Celine has designed an outfit for Beatrice and Amy’s dress is for her sister Princess Eugenie.
The creations are the result of a visit to the university in 2016 by the princesses’ mother Sarah, Duchess of York, who was shown a portfolio of designs by students for outfits her daughters could wear at an event such as London Fashion Week.
The Duchess was impressed by the range of ideas in the portfolio – produced as a special first-year project – and took it away to show her daughters. Word came back that the creations had found royal favour, so the two students set to work to turned their designs into reality.
The two dresses – complete apart from some finishing touches – were on display when Beatrice came to the university.
Celine, from Clitheroe, has a passion for Gothic styles – referencing the fact that Beatrice’s father is the Duke of York – took inspiration from the medieval stained glass of York Minster to create a design printed on to the skirt of her outfit.
She contacted the authorities at the Minster, who supplied pictures. When Princess Beatrice saw the designs she immediately recognised the source. commenting: “It’s a phenomenal window!”
Amy, from Halifax, created an outfit for Princess Eugenie. The predominantly dark blue dress and velvet jacket is paired with a skirt featuring Amy’s own designs, inspired by cherry blossom and reflecting her fondness for floral patterns.
When the dresses were unveiled, Beatrice was delighted. “These are fantastic!” she said. “Each dress is unique. This is so cool.”
Beatrice told Amy and Celine that she planned to return to the university with Eugenie to inspect and try on the outfits.
Also at the unveiling were fashion design lecturer Stephanie Price and fashion technicians Kimberley Clarkson and Helen Turner, who helped make up the dresses – selecting the special fabrics for the outfits from a high-end supplier in London.
During her visit, Princess Beatrice was escorted by university vice-chancellor Prof Bob Cryan in his capacity as Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. The princess’s father, the Duke of York, is chancellor of the University.
Beatrice also met students taking a range of fashion, textile and design courses at the university’s School of Art, Design and Architecture – Emma Lucas, Lorna Hampton-Bowes, Sadie Goode, Gemma Newsome, Lauren Stewart and Emily Muir.
Christopher Himlin, who is studying fashion and textile buying management, described his group project on sourcing from Vietnam while fashion communication and promotion student Ana Zuravliova showed a copy of a glossy magazine she and fellow students had created, aimed at high-powered career women. The princess concluded her second visit to the campus by meeting some of the university’s international students.
Before signing the visitor’s book, she was presented with a sample of the flavoured liqueurs made by former Huddersfield student Stephen Bond, who now runs a business named Panda’s Kitchen.
