West Suffolk College Has Seven Finalists in Top Clothes Show Competition

An amazing six out of ten finalists in a top national competition to find the ‘Young Fashion Photographer of the Year’, run by The Clothes Show, are from West Suffolk College.  

In a double celebration, another student is one of the finalists who has gained a place in the prestigious ‘Young Designer of the Year’ beating many degree level students by designing a jacket for Caryn Franklin to wear at this year’s Clothes Show in Liverpool.

In both cases hundreds of students across the country entered the highly competitive annual awards that can help them step into the fashion world.

One of the six finalists, Milo Bustin, has now had success on both sides of the camera as he has been modelling for top menswear designer Christopher Shannon, dubbed by Vogue as “Possibly one of the best menswear designers in the world.” Milo was scouted by the designer on social media, took part in London Fashion Week and joined a model agency. It was also the first project for him on a new course that the Bury St Edmunds college only launched in September, Fashion Media and Promotion. ”I’m over the moon being a finalist,” said Milo.

The college’s director of Art and Design, Derek Johnson said; “Our students have featured in these finals in previous years but to have seven out of 20 in the final of this highly sought after competition is fantastic. It shows how hard they work and the high standard they have reached already. We are all extremely proud”

The Fashion Photography brief ‘My Town’ was to present an image showing appreciation for where they live; celebrating a person in their town to showcase their personality. The six are Lydia Kerr,17, Harry Taylor,18, Charlotte Miller18, and Courtney Easton from Photography Year 2 and Milo Bustin,18, and Iona Dickens,16, from Fashion Media and Promotion Year 1.

The competition organisers, the British Style Collective, said “The ​Fashion Photographer of the Year Award looks for story telling through the lens creating a moment others may have missed”.

The Young Designer of the Year Award is dedicated for future fashion creators. Designers were asked by Professor Caryn Franklin MBE to produce a jacket design for her to wear on stage at The Clothes Show 2018 involving some digital technology.

Yasmin Backhouse, who is on Year 2 of Fashion and Textiles sent in her mood board showing her design and has since made up the jacket using a pattern digitally printed on the fabric.

Yasmin said she was “overwhelmed” at getting to the final and exploring new techniques with digital and 3d printing and using an innovative cutting method – subtraction cutting – for the sleeves.

As a young girl she was brought up being taught to knit by her mum, and her sister, Poppy, is currently on year one of the same Fashion and Textile course. Yasmin is in the process of visiting the five universities for interviews to study fashion and textile or design on her way to hopefully becoming a women’s fashion designer in textile, print and knitwear.

A delighted Sophie Lachowycz, course director for Fashion & Textiles and Fashion Media & Promotion said: “, We encourage our students to aim high; pushing themselves to succeed and this outstanding selection of finalists demonstrates this. Vocational contexts are an essential part of our courses that we integrate into our project briefs to ensure the students begin to build professional connections.
Yasmin,has been chosen as a finalist amongst degree level students, which is an amazing achievement for a Further Education student. Her excellent work ethic and commitment to the course has paid off.

The four Photography finalists have been able to utilise the wide range of skills they have learnt within the course, responding to the competition as if they were working to a client brief.

Having two first year Fashion Media & Promotion students chosen as finalists is an outstanding achievement for a brand new course and their first ever project brief. Iona and 

Milo worked reallyhard to learn photography and digital manipulation skills to enable them to produce work to a very high standard.
Gaining 7 finalists is exceptional and an achievement that has made the whole college proud.”

All the finalists will now have to wait until just before the three day Clothes Show being held in Liverpool from 19-21 October.