Young designer of the season

Footwear design student Nicola Gilmour, from Londonderry, has once again ensured that De Montfort University's up and coming fashion design students top the bill. Nicola was named Young Designer of the Season by visitors to the Out on a Limb Live Exhibition at the Birmingham NEC. Votes from the fashion industry and public visiting the show ensured that Nicola's designs won by a landslide. Last August, De Montfort University's Katie Robinson won the same award and as part of the prize spent a day with a top footwear design team. Nicola's prize includes a month's work experience at a men's fashion footwear company. Footwear Design at DMU is a studio-based Footwear Design course and the only single honours degree in the UK specialising in this area of study. Shoe design and technical making skills are developed throughout all three years, emphasising the crucial relationships between design and manufacture and the needs of the modern fashion industry. Graduates are employed as footwear designers, as well as buyers and agents. They have graduates working for Gucci, Red or Dead, Gina, Na Na, Paul Smith, Ellesse, Levis, Reebok, Morgan, Ravel, Lacoste and Kickers. Held at the Birmingham NEC in February, Out on a Limb Live is a joint venture between 'Out on a Limb' magazine and DEW Events. The exhibition showcased the newest ranges for 2003 from the biggest names in the industry. The footwear fair gives everyone in the business a chance to preview the next trends and up and coming talents in the footwear industry. Each show is supported by leading brand exhibitors and footwear wholesalers. For further information, or a photo of Nicola with her award winning design, please contact De Montfort University's Press and Public Relations Office on (0116) 207 8353.