UK’s biggest fashion graduate exhibition exposes Generasi Global students to latest trends
Our Fashion students on the Generasi Global programme spent half a day at the New Designers’ exhibition held at the Business Centre at Angel in Islington.
Our Fashion students on the Generasi Global programme spent half a day at the New Designers’ exhibition held at the Business Centre at Angel in Islington. The exhibition centre housed the showcase for the graduation student’s final degree presentations from all of the U.K. University Faculties, Schools and Colleges of Art & Design, including those of Wales (Cardiff) and Scotland) (Edinburgh and Glasgow). The fashion students who attended were part of the FELDA group that left in early May as the second batch to fly to London.
London being one of the fashion capitals of the world the exhibition provided students with inspiration and an appreciation of how conventional design ideas can be improved and reinterpreted. The standard and techniques employed both manually and industrially indicated skill and passion with the creative execution challenging rather than matching that of professional and commercial quality.
“I started to think seriously about how I approached fashion, and reflecting on why some fashion trends meant so much more to me than others, and realizing there’s so much more out there that I am yet to see,” reflected Sahmimi Bte Othman.
A theme that ran throughout the entire showcase was the innovative use of relatively conventional materials which formed unexpected pockets of creativity and diversity in the designs. Fabrics, plastics and metals alike were covered in exotic motifs inspired by nature. The artistic of applications of prints to various material surfaces and their adaptation to the varying products was refreshing.
The jewellery pieces also revealed ingenuity with the use and manipulation of the variety of metals: silvers, golds, coppers, bronzes, steels, aluminium, and their various creative processes. Their surface treatments both with the use of chemicals and machine and manual manipulation produced intriguing patterns and textures which complimented the creation on display.
From visiting the exhibition students gained invaluable lessons on how to present their designs and seeing first-hand how existing and emerging trends grow. This helped them conceptualized their own ideas about fashion and exploit their unique cultural background and knowledge.
Siti Hajar Binti Hassan (BA Fashion & Retailing) said, “Seeing how other people present their final work really excited me! I can’t wait for the moment when I see my selection gets showcased to the public in the same way!”
Last year Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, in partnership with the Botswana High Commission in the UK made history and hosted a fashion show organized by the British Fashion Council as part of London Fashion Week A/W. It was at this event in one of the most important weeks in the fashion industry that Botswana for the first time displayed creations at the International Fashion Showcase, the ‘Emerging Talent Awards 2012’.