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Middlesex fashion designers celebrate reaching award finals in London Fashion Week

17/02/2014
Two talented fashion designers from Middlesex have made the finals of a national fashion competition after beating entries from across the UK.

Two talented fashion designers from Middlesex University have made the finals of a national fashion competition after beating entries from across the UK.

Final year Fashion Design students Alexandra Olivier and Rhiannon Wakefield are two of the finalists selected from entries submitted from 11 universities nationwide, who will battle it out at the finals of the 2014 FAD (Fashion Awareness Direct) competition in central London during London Fashion Week. 

The event on Tuesday 18 February will see models showing off the Middlesex University students’ designs at a runway show in front of an industry panel, including British Vogue magazine, and a packed audience.  The winner will be selected by the panel and awarded a £1000 prize on the night.  

For the competition the students were tasked with responding to the challenge of ‘what can multisensory fashion be?’  They produced creative responses using a variety of techniques including hand screen prints, layering and uniquely combining different fabrics. Alexandra Olivier main    

Middlesex student Alexandra Olivier said: “The inspiration that I based my two looks on were the experience of regaining sight.  Despite people thinking this would be a wholly positive experience, my research showed me that the experience can be overwhelming and difficult.  My outfits convey this using various techniques including using layers of fabrics to create distortion.”

“I’ve learnt a lot from the process and I’m looking forward to the finals.  After the runway show there will be a reception where we’ll get the chance to network to help us get connected in the fashion industry.”

Rhiannon Wakefield said: “The theme was unusual and challenging and it's been an exciting and invaluable experience. To be chosen as a finalist by people involved in the industry and to have that validation is very heartening.  I am really excited about the finals and to have Alex there with me is fantastic, I'm glad we are going through it together.”

Photos: 
Top: Rhiannon Wakefield with a model in one of her looks
Bottom: Alexandra Olivier with a model in one of her outfits

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