BLC recently sponsored an exciting project with the Fashion School, University of Northampton. The aim of the exercise was to produce themed leather-based designs for display in the training, meeting and reception areas at BLC’s premises in Northampton.
Twenty-two students participated in the project headed up by Kim Rowney and Jane Mills of the Fashion School. The students were encouraged to capture the essence of BLC within the designs including its global reach, retail facing customer base and innovation. With leather the core business and passion of BLC, this project would also demonstrate the beauty, functionality and versatility of leather as a material.
The response to the competition was of a very high standard, with three winners selected from a range of outstanding and highly original designs. As well as the three winning works of art, a range of other pieces was selected for display at Leather Trade House.
The winners were:
Nicola Mills, BA(Hons) Fashion – Textiles for Fashion Pathway Yr2. Inspired by tribal wear, particularly the Ifugai tribes in Northern Luzon in the Philippines, who combine indigenous weaving with embellishment.
Tracey Hanton, BA(Hons) Fashion Footwear and Accessories Yr2. She was awarded for her ‘Circle of Life’ – the concept of the human life form portrayed through animal skin, including surface design on a sculptured piece.
Joanna Leeder, BA(Hons) Fashion – Textiles for Fashion Pathway Yr2. The original idea was to create a leather garment, experimenting with slashing and burning the leather in various ways. Buckles were then introduced into the project, which led to cutting strips of leather featuring cut out circles with buckles.
