CONGRATULATIONS to King’s Ely Sixth Form student, Anna Pearce, who came 2nd at the Young Fashion Designer UK Awards!
Anna, 18, from Norfolk, made it to the top eight A Level entries and was invited to attend the finals at Kent College, Pembury on June 29th.
Anna entered a beautiful jacket design, using digital transfer techniques and gathering/layering effects on a woven structure. The sculptural aspects have been an integral part of her design work and have created highly individual outcomes.
Anna was required to display the garment alongside her research and development work, and there were two separate judging slots, an interview and a practical workshop.
Speaking about the finals, Anna said: “I am delighted to have been selected as a 2019 finalist!
“I went along to the finals knowing that they would be a great experience for my future. I had to present and display my work on panels for the judges to see and I exhibited my finished garment on a mannequin. I was then interviewed by the judging panel who asked me about my work, the design brief, my inspiration and the techniques that I used to achieve my final outcome.
“I met other finalists and was interested to see which processes they had used in their garments. I also attended a T-shirt up-cycling workshop which challenged my creative skills and a fashion illustration workshop. The day was inspiring and I gained so much from it!
“The event concluded with an awards ceremony and I was rather surprised but delighted to have been awarded 2nd place. As my time at King’s Ely draws to a close this is a fitting way to complete my journey here.”
Director of Art at King’s Ely Senior, Alison Rhodes, said: “Young Fashion Designer UK is an exciting national competition which has been established since 2010. It focuses on enhancing the talent of young fashion designers to showcase and promote the exceptional work achieved by A Level students studying Fashion and Textile Design throughout the United Kingdom.
“Anna made it through to the final eight A Level entries and after a series of presentations, she went on to be awarded 2nd place. The judges made reference to the photographs Anna had taken of the garment and how they had brought the piece alive. Two of the judges commented on what a stunning and outstanding textile piece she had created and another judge told Anna that the final decision had been incredibly close.
“This excellent success has been a wonderful way for Anna to complete her time at King’s Ely and we would all like to congratulate her on her achievements.”