WHALLEY RANGE HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS STUDENT OCEAN WILLIAMS HAS WON A COMPETITION LAUNCHED BY MANCHESTER FASHION WEEK (MCRFW) AND DUO UK PLASTICS TO DESIGN THE OFFICIAL VIP BAG FOR THIS YEARS FASHION EVENT.
14 year old Ocean Williams competed against her fellow Whalley Range High School pupils after they were given the challenge to come up with an original design to adorn goody bags intended for VIPs at Manchester Fashion Week 2013.
Head of Fashion at MCRFW Kirsty Attwood:
“We chose Whalley Range High School as it is a school that is right at the heart of Manchester. Their textiles department has recently been refurbished and a number of their pupils go on to design courses or aspire to work within the fashion industry. This year Manchester Fashion Week is all about creating a legacy for fashion in our city and we wanted to develop this from the grass roots.”
The 1500 strong girls school were given the brief of creating a design that epitomizes Manchester and reflects its edgy style. The standard was so high the judging panel of MCRFW ambassadors narrowed it down to a final 10 designs. The panel included Manchester designer and fashionista Nadine Merabi:
“It was such a hard decision for us to make. The girls had come up with some amazing ideas but we felt Ocean really made an impact and loved use of the Manchester skyline and striking colours.”
Duo’s Commercial Director, Anthony Brimelow, who took part in the judging process thinks this has been a great project to be involved in:
“As a business retail is one of our key sectors – we count leading brands such as ASOS, Boohoo.com and JD Williams among our customers so there’s a natural affinity between us and many of the companies involved in Manchester Fashion Week. In fact we have worked with Boohoo.com, another ambassador of MCRFW from day one and supported them as their business has rapidly grown.
“In addition to this, we are a proud Manchester business and we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year. The city has been good to us so the way Manchester Fashion Week is nurturing new talent and helping young businesses grow really appeals to us.”
The design will now be made into an actual bag by Manchester based leading packaging manufacturer and supplier Duo UK, who are one of the main sponsors for Manchester Fashion Week 2013.
Kirsty Attwood:
2013 marks the second year of Manchester Fashion Week and sees an increase in catwalk shows and exhibition space. 20% of the 30 catwalks will be donated to independent British Fashion designers creating a fantastic opportunity to showcase their work and champion the new fashionistas of the future.
Manchester Fashion Week 2013 will take place between 22nd April- 26th April at the National Football Museum.
The top 10 Whalley Range High School designs can be viewed on the official MCRFW website by logging on to www.mcrfashionweek.com
Photography from MCRFW Photographer ©Leemo Rante
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