Fashion show highlights the work of talented students

Chesterfield College’s annual fashion show took place last week featuring work from around 40 students studying across fashion, art and design courses alongside collections from a local fashion retailer, manufacturer and college alumni.

Highlights from the show included a range of men’s and women’s wear outfits inspired by everything from Russian work wear, the sea and Japan to street style.  The dramatic and striking student collections delighted audiences at the matinee and evening shows.

Logan Kettley, age 18, from Coal Aston, who will be studying Menswear at Sheffield Hallam University in September designed, created and modelled a menswear collection for the show. He told us:-

“This collection was inspired by the early stages of Russian communist work wear. It features technical fabrics and taping I have designed and printed including the Cyrillic alphabet. We have been working on the collection throughout the year so it is good to see it on the catwalk today.”

Lauren Browse, age 18 from Troway, also designed a menswear collection and will be joining Logan to study Menswear at Sheffield Hallam University. Her formal collection was designed around the topic of how fashion struggles with masculinity. She uses many different fabrics including a digitally printed lining in monochromatic colours, which she designed and made herself. She said:-

“The final collections really bring together the technical know-how we have built up over the last two years of the course at college. From design to pattern cutting and manufacture alongside the theory; I think you can see it all in what we produce for the show and I know that I have a really good basic knowledge to build on when I move on to university. It really helps you to understand your strengths and what area of the industry you might focus your career.”

Alice Doyle, age 18 from Dronfield, who will move onto studying Fashion at Nottingham Trent University in the autumn, created a collection inspired by a kimono she bought in a charity shop. Her interest in Japan was clear to see in the outfit which mixed influences from the country alongside a bold street wear style combined with her love for a variety of textures and mediums. She told us:-

“Putting this collection together has given me the chance to experiment with different fabrics and styles. I am really pleased with how my scarf, which is knitted from material that I cut in a way to avoid knots, has turned out and I think it works really well with the rest of the outfit. I am really happy that I chose to study fashion here and I really feel like I have found something that I want to develop into a career.”

Local clothing company, Monkee Genes, who produce a range of ethical and sustainable fashion showed a collection of their jeans and casual clothing. Phil Wildbore, owner and designer of the company said:-

“It is my quest to raise awareness about the real cost of fashion and show that you can produce sustainable fashion with style that is built to last. Raising awareness with students at the start of their career in the industry is so important, which is why we were keen to get involved with the show at Chesterfield College.”

Dotique, the winner of the best new store in Chesterfield’s Retail Awards, also showed a collection of their designer women’s wear.