Falmouth makes fashion history

Falmouth and the wonderful and often whacky world of fashion might seem an unusual combination, but next month all that is about to change.

The first ever BA(Hons) Fashion Design and BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design graduate show from University College Falmouth (incorporating Dartington College of Arts) is to take place during the evening of Tuesday 1 June, and it promises to be spectacular.

Employing the creativity of award-winning stylist, Susie Coulthard, who has worked with celebrities such as The Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs, Mark Ronson and Dizzee Rascal; show producer, Lucy Richards, who has worked on countless shows for London Fashion Week; and Nikki Palmer, a hair and make-up artist who regularly transforms celebs like Duffy, Sophie Dahl and Girls Aloud, the show is set to rival anything seen on the catwalks of established graduate fashion courses in the UK.

The show will be the culmination of three hard years of creativity and work by 30 students, some of whom have concentrated on lifestyle fashion and others who have chosen to specialise in performance sportswear against the backdrop of Falmouth's stunning coastal location.

Working with, and being supported by, top names in fashion such as Luella Bartley, Bella Freud, Wendy Dagworthy, Tanya Sarne and Finisterre, the students have worked with the cream of the fashion world.

They have also benefited from being taught by the well-known design team, Patrick and Jane Gottelier of the Artwork fashion label. Jane and Patrick were initially asked to create the degree courses as consultants, four years ago. However, they were so inspired by Cornwall and the unique opportunity to launch fashion at Falmouth that they then applied to run them, calling in a wealth of industry contacts along the way to ensure the uniqueness of these degrees.

The show will begin with yogawear, swimwear, ski- and snowboardwear from Level 1 and Level 2 students, culminating with graduate collections that will include glamorous wetsuits designed by girls for girls; swim and beachwear; luxury loungewear; stretch clothing for athletics; women's football and snowboarding gear as well as tennis dresses. There will also be urban streetwear with a twist; ecological and recycled sustainable collections; and stunning evening wear.

Most of these highly individual collections have made full use of the state-of-the-art technical equipment within Falmouth's fashion department, such as laser cutting, ultrasonic welding, tape seaming, digital printing and fabric bonding technology.

With support from RELAYS (Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sport) and with all eyes on the summer Olympics, serious sportswear is truly in the spotlight this year, so there is no better time to showcase the results of the only Performance Sportswear Design degree in the country. Equally generous support has come from Cornish eco-fashion brand, Seasalt; the Co-operative Group; Pure Blue Water, based in Falmouth; neoprene product manufacturer,Techneopro, based in Lostwithiel; and Toni & Guy's Falmouth salon which will be styling the models' hair.

"Fashion has changed radically in the past few years and the global perspective allows a designer to work from a beach in Cornwall as effectively as from an office in London," commented Jane Gottelier. "Centring our efforts on wearable lifestyle fashion and performance sportswear, we not only attract students from Cornwall, Devon and London, but also from India, Brazil, Sweden, Austria and Spain. This not only reflects fashion's global paradigm but also the calibre and distinctiveness of Falmouth's offer."

The Fashion Show will be staged in a marquee on Events Square, Falmouth on Tuesday 1 June from 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £12 (£6 for students on production of a current UCF student ID card) and are available from the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Events Square, Falmouth or online from www.falmouth.ac.uk/fashionshow, where further information about the event can be found.

If you require any special assistance to help you attend this event or have questions about event accessibility, please get in touch by emailing events@falmouth.ac.uk or telephoning 01326 213756.

There will be a press call for photographers and journalists at Events Square at 5pm on the day of the show. Photographs from the catwalk will be available online from Wednesday 2 June and photographs of the graduate collections, shot at the funky new eco-hotel, The Scarlet, will also be available for preview features.

A video of the Falmouth Fashion Show will also be shown at Graduate Fashion Week at Earls Court in London from 6 to 11 June 2010. This event showcases the very best BA(Hons) graduate fashion talent in the UK and aims to promote and nurture the talents of today's creative innovators so that tomorrow's creative industries can continue to play a major role in the economy of the UK and the rest of the world.

For further information about BA(Hons) Fashion Design and BA(Hons) Performance Sportswear Design at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/fashiondesign, 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 2013/2014 that will be unique to the South West.

The University 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 and Convergence), 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 Dip CIPR MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 01326 213792, or email:  jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk 

Notes to Editors

About RELAYS

The regional RELAYS project (Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sport) is a £3.1M programme that will deliver an ambitious, flexible schedule of linked cultural and sporting events. The project is grounded in education and aims to inspire a generation of young people and diverse communities throughout South West England. RELAYS is run by HERDA-SW in conjunction with its partners Lyme Regis Development Trust, The Works and Watershed. The project is funded by Legacy Trust UK and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

www.universitiessouthwest.ac.uk/relays.aspx 

About Seasalt

Seasalt was the first fashion brand to have clothing certified by The Soil Association in 2005. Seasalt is now the largest producer of Soil Association certified organic clothing in the UK, and more than 55% of the Seasalt range is organic. There are now 12 Seasalt shops in Cornwall, Devon and Guernsey. Seasalt currently employs around 130 people in the south west. The Seasalt range is also sold in over 300 independent retailers across the UK and Europe.

http://www.seasaltcornwall.co.uk/ 

About The Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group stands apart from other major retailers in the UK as a business which is owned, not by a small group of shareholders, but  by more than five million consumers. With core interests in food, financial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, it has an annual turnover of £14 billion, employs 123,000 staff and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets handling more than 20 million weekly transactions.

Following the acquisition of the Somerfield supermarket chain in March 2009, The Co-operative Food is the fifth largest food retailer. The Co-operative Financial Services is one of the largest and most diversified financial mutual businesses, operating The Co-operative Bank, The Co-operative Insurance and Britannia.

The Co-operative is the UK's number one provider of funeral services, the third largest retail pharmacy chain, a leading travel retailer, supplying the travel needs of more than three million people annually, and is the UK's largest farmer.

Among its other businesses are The Co-operative Motor Group, The Co-operative Electrical Shop and The Co-operative Legal Services.

http://www.co-operative.coop/ 

About Pure Blue Water

Perfectly balanced natural spring water from Cornwall. A carbon neutral company donating profits to keep our seas and coastlines fit for life.

http://www.purebluewater.com/ 

About Techneopro

A contact manufacturer specialising in neoprene products and a wetsuit repairs facility.

http://www.techneopro.co.uk/ 

About Toni and Guy Falmouth

Located in the hub of this seaside town, Toni and Guy Falmouth has built up a great reputation over the past five years. Their specialist trained stylists pride themselves on their creative flair and individual style. All stylists are trained in the London academy to the highest standards, so if you're looking for a brand new summer look or wanting to indulge in a touch of hair pampering, feel free to pop in for a guide to the perfect style.

www.toniandguy.com/salon/information/173

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