Shanghai success for Hollings

MMU students have been successful yet again at the hottest fashion show in the East.

Talented young designers from Hollings picked up three awards and were two of only four Europeans to reach the final at the 2007 China Cup.

The Cup is a global competition for young fashion designers held during Shanghai International Fashion Festival, attracting 30,000 competitors.

Last year MMU’s Moran Dehan won the silver medal and this year Bianca Carletti and Christina Parr were the stars.

Excellence

Bianca, 22, from Leicestershire, won the Excellence Prize for Womenswear and a special prize for accessories.

Bianca who is working with Reebok is inspired by yoga and says her work focuses on comfortable clothes for leisuretime.

Christina, 21, from Widnes, scooped the Excellence Prize for Menswear with a collection which included an all-in-one garment comprising blazer, flying jacket and trenchcoat.

She said: "China was amazing. Fashion and textiles is massive over there and the competition was dominated by Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.

Technical expertise

"I was hugely impressed with the craftsmanship and I came back to the UK really inspired by the traditional and modern techniques from the East."

Back in the UK, the Excellence prizes were re-awarded to the girls by Professor Richard Murray, Dean of Hollings at a high-profile Industry Day staged by the Department of Clothing Design and Technology.

For more information about fashion, design and technology at Hollings, go to www.hollings.mmu.ac.uk/faculty/cdt