Students from De Montfort University Leicester’s world-renowned Contour Fashion course have wowed a panel of judges from leading lingerie companies. The second-year students presented their work at the Cabinet of Curiosities catwalk show in front of a judging panel consisting of senior executives from well-known brands Tutti Rouge, Wacoal, Curvy Kate and Aubade Paris. The catwalk featured lingerie, athleisure and swimwear designed by 70 students over the past few weeks, with the top three outfits being won by Erran MacColl, Eline Piso and Iona Setchell.
Erran MacColl scooped the top award thanks to her black mesh design, which was inspired by the theme of night-time. 20-year-old Erran, who is from Leicester, said: “I wasn’t expecting to win, so it was a really nice surprise. It’s great to be recognised by people who work in the industry. I’ll be able to put this on my CV now. I love Contour Fashion and all the details that go into the designs. It’s really nice to be able to see it all finished and all the hard work pay off. It’s really reassuring for the future to get this prize.”
Second-place Eline Piso, from The Netherlands, created a blue latex design which was inspired by a radio built by her father in 1960. Eline said: “It’s amazing, I came to study in the UK so to be recognised for this, I’m really proud of myself. I’ve always wanted to work with latex and I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. I spent four weeks working intensely every single day testing different types of latex.”
Iona Setchell, from Warwick, who finished third with an outfit inspired by the Tokyo lights, was also delighted to be acknowledged by the expert judges. She explained: “When I came in today and saw everyone’s designs they were all amazing so I didn’t expect to come third, but I’m really happy. It reassures me that I’m on the right track and going in the right direction.”
The judges took into account the impact and technical ability of the designs, as well as how much they pushed the boundaries and whether they could be taken straight to market and sold in shops. The five judges were particularly impressed how much technical ability and attention to detail was shown in the designs.
Olivia Wilson, Head of Design at Curvy Kate, said: “It was very difficult to pick the winners. The Cabinet of Curiosities is all about creating a vision from their inspiration so we chose the winners based on the impact of the outfits when they came on the catwalk. Every year there is a very consistent standard. If they keep working hard I’m sure they will be very successful in the industry.”
Staff had challenged the students to be as innovative and creative as possible and Associate Professor Gillian Proctor was delighted to see such impactful designs on the catwalk. “It was a very worthwhile day,” she said. “The contribution from external industry panel members is invaluable for student progression and to give them an insight into what to expect in their final year.”
