Second year students from London College of Fashion’s BA (Hons) Fashion Design Development recently collaborated with Urban Outfitters (UO) on a festival wear project, researching and designing gender fluid collections for Urban Outfitter's ‘Festival 19’ line. 20 finalists presented to a panel of UO womenswear designers and recruitment managers, in the hope of winning a cash prize and portfolio mentoring.
The students worked on the project from October 2018 until February 2019, spurred on by tutors and commitment from the UO team. “They really engaged with the brand. These are the types of experiences that they will remember years later and help to shape their future careers,” remarked Lindsey Riley, Programme Director for Product within the School of Design and Technology.
The Winners
Karolina Bussa secured first prize with her bold and stylised design work. Whilst it was difficult picking a winner, the panel were very convinced by her fresh urban look.
Second prize went to Alfie Chambers, who was lead by UO's core value of sustainability. They loved the sustainable techno vibe of his collection.
Luce Anumba was awarded third prize for her Afropunk collection, and impressed UO with the amount of work that was put into the developing her garments.
Special congratulations were also given to Ellie Turner for her amazing look, and Ashwini Deshpande for her animated and professional presentation skills.
Overall, the UO team were impressed by the standard of the projects they were presented with. The students were really engaged and “open to feedback and receptive to our thoughts and advice. They were also prepared, coming with an easy to follow and creative narrative that included swatches and well-articulated mood boards,” commented Kate Davies, former recruitment manger for Urban Outfitters, adding:
The students' work was of a consistently high standard. Their attention to detail and thought process behind their designs and portfolios were impressive.
The course tutors were also really proud of everyone involved – the winners, the finalists and the whole cohort. Programme Director Lindsey Riley commented: “Engagement with this project made the Professional Practice Unit exceptional this year – successes all round!”
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