Witchcraft, urban culture and glow in the dark leather hit the catwalk

​Talented fashion students from the University of Northampton took to the stage at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week with an array of colours, textures, styles and even glow in the dark leather!

The 15 third year students took part in the catwalk show held at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane on Monday 1 June and showcased their final year collections and accessories.

Robin Lockton kicked off the show with her collection, which focused on entrapment with the use of both fur and leather and was swiftly followed by Rebekka Johnson, who used sand washed silk and a crepe de chine blend to give movement to her mushroom and fungi inspired pieces.

Sophie Parker used Japanese paper sculpture to create shadows and contrasts in her all-white leather patent collection, while Freddie Beeb also used leather, but blended it with PVC alongside spray paint to create his beetle-inspired concept.

By juxtaposing leather with silk wool cashmere and silk jersey, Ngoni Chikwenengere’s collection showed a more feminine side and as she was the recipient of the Curriers Award, she was able to source and buy amazing leathers and suedes, which worked perfectly with her concept. Harriet King’s collection balanced old versus new as she used neoprene to create her outfits which were inspired by architecture and decaying interiors.

Martha Adams took inspiration from a recent trip to Barcelona to create a range of garments and bags, including rucksacks and travel bags featuring a combination of leather and fur.  This was followed by Nyoka Francis’s bright and bold urban culture collection.

Having been influenced by her Omani culture, Salwa Al-Habsi challenged the traditional costume using colours and modern silhouettes by blending classic lines with structured shapes. In a beautiful combination of colour and style, Herjot Garcha used African tribes and scarification as a design concept and featured red ochre, yellow sulphur and grey ash for her outfits. Rocking a 70s vibe, Paige Alexander’s collection looked stunning on the catwalk and featured floral digital prints on flowing silk, something Paige herself would love to wear.

Former medical student Daniyal Khan showcased his range of bespoke men’s bags and footwear and unveiled his glow in the dark leather concept, which he created and developed himself. Daniyal’s collection has been sponsored by Northampton-based Church’s Shoes. Next up, Naomi Leslie used movement technique within photography and light painting to create a relaxed oversized collection focusing on cotton and jersey materials to best showcase her digital prints.

Bringing a bit of witchcraft to the catwalk, Izabela Mundzik’s collection was dark and edgy with lots of black capes and contrasting materials such as fake fur and fine silk and last but by no means least, Ashleigh Wise’s colourful vibrant collection was an expressive style of textile art and was inspired by a recent trip to India.

Dr Julie King, Head of Fashion at University of Northampton said: “Our Fashion students have become widely recognised for their talents and skills in craftsmanship, design and manufacture – and most importantly for being ahead of the design curve. The University of Northampton has long established links with industry, which develops our student’s industry ready employability skills.”

Graduate Fashion Week has been firmly established as the world’s leading event for fashion graduates.