Image from Artsthread.com – Collection by Arianna Luparia, BA (Hons) Womenswear; Photography by Simonas Berukstis
LCF students have impressed in Diversity NOW, a competition run by All Walks Beyond the Catwalk and published in i-D magazine that calls for diverse fashion images for our diverse society.
BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear student, Arianna Luparia, claimed first prize in the design category for her innovative and moving work with her brother, Mattia.
Mattia has been paraplegic since birth. At 24 years old, he is fashion conscious and very dynamic. Arianna created a collection which incorporated his wheelchair into stylish garments, giving him style and functionality. The collection was shot by BA (Hons) Fashion Photography student Simonas Berukstis. Arianna told Arts Thread:
“Mattia experiences the world in a different way. He doesn’t see rules, problems or barriers. For him anything is possible. Mat will drive a full pelt in his electronic wheelchair, reverse, slide, drift, and zoom. Mattia is not bothered by the fact that he is unable to walk; he knows that he is special, not different. I wanted to express his unique identity through my design because I feel that disabled people are not represented enough within the fashion industry, and through my research I realised there is not yet a widely developed market for them, especially for young and sporty people like my brother.”
She added:
“For quadriplegic and paraplegic people, the wheelchair is part of their look […] The aim of my project was to create something that could dress both my brother and the wheelchair at the same time, and express his special personality fully.”
Arianna’s success was followed by an outstanding win from MA Fashion Photography student, Eliska Kyselkova. Eliska worked as the photographer with stylist and artistic director, Ginevra Menon from Instituto Marangoni. The project earnt first place in the photography and styling category and was also awarded overall winner of the whole competition. The photoshoot will be published in i-D online.
The award day began with a conference with fashion expert, Caryn Franklin and the All Walks team where LCF were recognised as trail blazers in the field of diversity. BA Womenswear Course Leader and Artistic Director of the Design and Technology School, Rob Philips was given an informal award recognising him as a leading player in dynamically pushing the diversity agenda through creative education. Rob said:
“I very humbly accepted this award, voicing it as an award for the innovative institution we are and for the wonderful students we have.”
In the evening, the awards were presented by blogger Susie Bubble to the winning students.
A whole host of LCF students made it to the final of the competition:
Charlotte Colin, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
Dmitry Gotsfrid, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
Orsolya Luca, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography
Polina Kuprina, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography
Valerie Masalevich, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography
Joshua Cooper, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography
Charlotte Knowles, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
Victoria Smith, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
Sing Yu Chan, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Menswear
Lynnly Benson, BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism