From a single course with just 30 students, the University of Huddersfield’s fashion department has grown into a centre of excellence.

And it is fast establishing both a national and international reputation.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the department can claim links with many of the world’s top design houses and has alumni highly placed in the fashion industry.

But it all began back in 1994 when Kevin Almond, now the Head of the Fashion and Textile Department, put together the first fashion design course.

He says: “It has been incredible to see how fashion has developed at the university over the past 20 years. We are now looking forward to another 20 years embracing the challenges of new and emerging technologies that will inspire our courses and research.”

Today the university offers two degrees - one combining textiles with fashion and the other giving students a background in marketing and production - and the intake has doubled.

University of Huddersfield fashion leader Kevin Almond with Sylvia Ayton
University of Huddersfield fashion leader Kevin Almond with Sylvia Ayton

Each year fashion students showcase their work for friends, industry representatives and members of the wider community. This year’s end-of year show on June 17 at the Lawrence Batley Theatre will focus on achievements past and present. Always spectacular, these events highlight the designs of the graduating final-year students who have begun the quest for jobs in the industry. Some may even be head-hunted as a result of the designs they put on the catwalk from their final collections.

Huddersfield’s university is proud of its above-average employability rate, which puts it 16th out of all UK universities for graduate employment and fashion students are part of this success story.

According to Claire Evans, course leader for the fashion design with marketing and production degree, the department has an 85% employment rate among graduates, with the majority going into roles directly related to the fashion industry. “And that’s in the current climate, when employment is generally difficult for young people,” she added.

“One of our students went on to become head of Top Man and we have had a lot of students go into work placements with international designers. One of the strengths of our fashion courses is the way we have built up strong links with industry. Around 90% of our students go on work placements to get industry experience.”

Our photoshoot features the work of the following graduating students:

Amy Saunders-Tindall, 23, based her final collection for the fashion with textile degree on butterfly wings, broken glass and chipped paint. She calls it ‘Fractured Wing’ and uses a mix of natural fabrics, including suede, and bold colours.

Lucy Smith, 23, also a textile student, themed her final pieces around ‘Craft’, working from shipbuilding blueprints and using natural, locally-sourced fabrics. The collection is of smart, tailored clothing. Lucy spent her year out in industry working at Coast and Bruce Oldfield.

Sian Gabbidon, 21, is a fashion with marketing and production student and took the Victorian era as her inspiration for a collection entitled ‘Subliminal Perception’. She spent time out on placement with a fashion marketing business in Leeds .

Stephanie Smith, 23, chose ‘A Sporting Journey’ as the starting point for her menswear collection and was one of only three students who chose to design for men. She had a year out working in Leeds and with Anna Sui in New York, an experience that has inspired her to look for work in the fashion capital London.

Hannah Reardon, 22, is a keen equestrian and based her collection, ‘Outlaw’ on her experiences of horses and horse riding. She used real horse hair - from seven tails - and suede to create clothing with a Wild West appeal.

The graduate show can be seen at 7pm and 9pm on June 17. Tickets are £10 from www.thelbt.org.uk or the LBT box office.

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