Catwalk collaboration wows Falmouth

University College Falmouth's (UCF) first large-scale foray into the world of the catwalk fashion show brought standing ovations from more than 600 spectators in the Fal Festival marquee on Events Square recently.

Showcasing the talents of second-year students on UCF's BA(Hons) Fashion Design and BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design courses, the event was created and managed almost entirely by students from the College's range of degree courses including Public Relations; Press & Editorial Photography; Graphic Design; Textile Design; Digital Media, Spatial Design; Choreography and Music.

"This unique collaboration - the first of its kind at UCF - proved that our students have the talent and drive to put together a fully-fledged fashion show with only minimal guidance from professionals, pretty much from scratch," said Patrick Gottelier, joint Course Leader of BA(Hons) Fashion Design and BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design. "We were delighted with the quality of work on display and the dedication shown by students who are also hugely busy with other academic work at this time of the year."

The show culminated in BA(Hons) Fashion Design student, Elle Glen, being awarded the inaugural Most Promising Designer Prize, from the global, fashion online database for industry professionals, http://www.stylesight.com/ and the announcement of a new prize of £1,000 and an internship to be awarded to a future UCF fashion student by the international brand, Diesel.

Jane Gottelier, joint Course Leader of BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Performance Sportswear Design, said: "A success like this doesn't just materialise from nothing. It was the result of endless and relentless preparation by both students and staff, all of whom I am enormously proud. Fashion is 90% graft and 10% glamour, but the rewards can be amazing."

"It was incredible to see all our hours of effort come to fruition," said first-year BA(Hons) Public Relations student, Kelly Trainor. "Working on the show provided us all with a real insight into the hard work required and the satisfaction experienced from running a successful and well-received event."

In addition to the students' work, the show was a truly Cornish collaboration with models from around Cornwall - including Lisa Ann Hillman from TV's Britain's Next Top Model - strutting the catwalk, sporting hair, make-up and accessories supplied by some of the fashion industry's biggest international names including Toni & Guy, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Ally Capellino, Cutler & Gross and Rip Curl. Other companies working with UCF's students on this year's show included British Fashion Awards Designer of the Year 2008 and UCF Visiting Professor, Luella Bartley; Evisu; Puma; Gul; Finisterre; Brazilian swimwear company, Lenny; Tanya Sarne, founder of the Ghost label and her new line, handwritten; and Norintra, House of Fashion in Hong Kong.

For further information about BA(Hons) Fashion Design and BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/fashiondesign or www.falmouth.ac.uk/performancesportswear , email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213852.

University College Falmouth is the only independent Higher Education institution in Cornwall with the powers to award degrees in its own name. It has two campuses in Cornwall - at Woodlane in Falmouth and Tremough in Penryn (which it owns, and jointly manages with the University of Exeter) - and a third campus at Totnes in Devon, following its merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008.

This merger created a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing. The Devon-based courses will relocate to a new, high-specification Performance Centre at Tremough in 2010, paving the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall by 2012/2013 that will be unique to the South West.

The College is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792; or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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