COMPRISING four of the latest generation of finest cutting edge fashion talent to emerge from Scotland in recent years, Design Collective Scotland launches today (Thursday 8th September) with a special evening showcase at Metropolitan in Glasgow’s Merchant Square, the heart of the city’s cultural, fashion and food quarter.
Design Collective Scotland has been conceived as a vehicle for the promotion of contemporary Scottish fashion design and a platform for nurturing fashion creatives in Scotland.
The four Design Collective Scotland designers, all of whom will showcase their Spring/Summer 2012 collections at London Fashion Week (16-20 September 2011), are: Iona Crawford; Di Gilpin; Emily Lamb and Marc Ross.
Marc Ross, of Design Collective Scotland, said: “Working as an independent designer can be very isolating and stifling, but since the formation of Design Collective Scotland, the four of us have been in contact with each other on a daily basis; we all feel we’re not alone any more and are reaping the benefits from being able to bounce ideas off each other and discuss various fashion initiatives.
“Whilst the aesthetics explored by each designer are diverse; collectively each of us share high-end, contemporary vision and principles so that the harmonious balance of talent, specialism and outlook coalesces to form a platform for a successful collaborative showcase.”
Cardonald College Glasgow is supporting the initiative by offering free access to unique workshop spaces in return for the opportunity for students to work alongside Design Collective Scotland designers, giving them direct experience of the London Fashion Week processes.
Students will be exposed to every aspect of the initiative, from sponsorship to event management, while making a direct and valued contribution to the manufacture of collections.
Dr Alex McCluskey, Head of Faculty, Creative Industries at Cardonald College Glasgow, said: “Scotland has frequently ‘punched above its weight’ in fashion and today’s young designers are no exception.
“You don’t have to look far to see their influence and I’m sure that Design Collective Scotland members will take their place as individuals and as a group at national and international levels.
“To show at London Fashion Week in their first weeks of formation will be an outstanding achievement and we wish them every success.”
Today’s launch event will feature models showcasing Design Collective Scotland womenswear and accessories salon style, as well as performances from up and coming band Kitty The Lion and a live DJ set by Ross McMillan.
Design Collective Scotland will host an evening reception at London Fashion Week on Tuesday 20 September.
Design Collective Scotland has secured sponsorship from: Arran Aromatics; Metropolitan Cocktail Bar & Restaurant; I Need An Appointment; Blanx; The Sanctum Hotel; Ibiza Glow; Conjure Cognac; Krusovice; Gleneagles; Stanton Imaging; Cardonald College Glasgow; Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Textile Academic Group, Alexander Wines and Laurent-Perrier.
For further information log on to www.designcollectivescotland.com
ENDS
For further information please contact Susan Christie on tel 0141 561 4018
Please credit photography to David Stanton
Issued on behalf of Design Collective Scotland by Liquorice Media tel 0141 561 4018 www.liquorice-media.com
Date 8th September 2011
Notes to editors
- Renowned for innovative and intricate garment structure fused with trademark tailoring, Iona Crawford collections are unashamedly elegant. Refined silhouette, bespoke self-designed prints, meticulous cloth selection and masculine tailoring influences unite to create an inimitable, avant garde yet wearable look. As a contemporary designer and artist, Iona’s work is typified by cutting edge design fused with painterly prints which are developed through the transposition of her own artworks to print, serving thereafter as exquisite dress fabrics and luxurious silk garment linings. Iona Crawford collections consist of earthy and tonal fabrics of Scottish origin, including cashmere, wool, tweed and leather. The combination and contrast of each element result in distinctive and innovative collections which epitomise timeless contemporary style. Revered in the ever fashion-forward Tokyo, the UK, Scotland and throughout the UK, Crawford’s mix of cashmere, merino, laser-cut leather and printed silk is earning her a reputation as one of the most avant garde young designers emerging today. Through her forthcoming Spring/Summer 2012 collection, Iona will again continue to push the boundaries of contemporary print; designing a collection which incorporates her unique painterly prints with a selection of luxurious cloths – notably, organic merino jersey from the world’s finest merino flocks in Auckland New Zealand. Iona has a burgeoning base of international fashion clients and stockists in the US and UK, including Prince of Scots New York and Cobbler’s Weans Glasgow.
- Having established herself as one of the world’s leading innovative designers of hand knitwear, designing for a host of international brands, Di Gilpin has this year created her debut own-label collection for Spring/Summer 2012. Drawing inspiration from traditional hand knit techniques such as Gansey, Lace, Intarsia and Damask, she has created a series of signature pieces which wrap and hold the body. From its very inception, Di’s work has shown a unique, individual flair and a strong relationship to landscape, with particular emphasis on the dramatic Cuillin mountains of Skye. Di has travelled extensively in India, extending her palette and design style and drawing particularly on designs from the high Himalaya in Ladhak. Her long-standing love of Andalucia and its Moorish culture, architecture and design have also contributed a profound influence on her work over the years, as have the Atlantic coasts of Scotland and Ireland. In February 2011, Di designed and created the extraordinary hand knitted pieces which took the fashion world by storm as they hit the MeadhamKirchhoff catwalk during London Fashion Week. Di’s work has been recognised by several awards over the years. Of particular note was her accolade as the first ever Balvenie Artisan of the Year in 2005. Di was, and remains, the only artisan maker ever to be short listed for the Scottish Arts Council’s Creative Scotland Award. She has worked as a designer for internationally acclaimed Rowan Yarns, as well as a host of other yarn companies, whilst producing her own eponymous book of patterns entitled ‘Shorelines’. Di’s work is innovative and daring in design, technique and execution. She strives to create sustainable clothing and commissions her own organic yarns and fibres, all sourced in the UK, creating garments with both a unique look and feel – principles which are embodied within her forthcoming Spring/Summer 2012 collection.
- Emily Lamb combines sheer luxury and timeless modern design to create beautiful footwear for the discerning woman. Emily studied at Cordwainers with London College of Fashion, where she was awarded the Cordwainers Bursary Award for her work. Her final graduate collection was exhibited at both The Royal Academy and within Burlington Arcade on Piccadilly in 2008. Following graduation, Emily worked for world-renowned Emmy Shoes prior to establishing her own label in 2010. This year, she has been short listed for Scottish Fashion Awards Accessories Designer of the Year 2011 and was nominated as best new Scottish Designer 2011 at The Scottish Variety Awards. Emily’s hotly anticipated Spring/Summer 2012 collection uses a variety of sumptuous materials from black silk to soft navy nappa to powder pink kid suede. With transparent PVC, bold pinks and deep burnt orange and a combination of floral and structural shapes, the collection encapsulates every possible mood of a summer romance, a very personal perception of summer love and true timeless beauty, in each beautiful pair of shoes. Emily’s unique footwear is now available to buy online at www.emilylambshoes.com, within Lace Boutique Scotland and The College Shop, London College of Fashion’s graduate pop up shop on Carnaby Street – to open at the same time as Vogue’s Fashion night out in September and run for three weeks.
- Beginning his fashion career as a summer apprentice, Marc Ross’s favourite environs swiftly became the sample and pattern room, where he cut his teeth as a pattern maker and began nurturing the talent which is evident within each of the garments he designs. On graduating with first class honours in Fashion Design and Garment Technology in Manchester, Marc went on to intern with Vivienne Westwood in London, spending a year working with the creative pattern cutting team on its Gold Label. He then returned to Manchester to work as a designer for a company designing and manufacturing for such high-end labels as Jaeger, Burberry, Anya Hindmarch and Barbour. Returning to Scotland in early 2010, Marc launched his own, eponymous label and channelled his vision towards designing his own womenswear collections. The Marc Ross label was nominated for Scottish Fashion Awards Young Designer of the year 2011. In February 2011 he was named the star of Silverburn, which acts as a platform to showcase his label. Known for his dramatic, gorgeously constructed pieces combining elements of British tailoring and couture, Marc creates a distinct aesthetic which focuses on innovation through pattern making and garment manipulation in order to push the boundaries within design. His forthcoming Spring/Summer 2012 collection will feature digital prints, laser cutting and a kaleidoscope of summer colours, including burnt orange, yellow, gold and white in his signature leather.
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