By Olivia Whaley
Ffion Piper (Left) helped to organise the event.Third year Contour Fashion students at De Montfort University took to the catwalk this Friday to celebrate the courses’ 70th birthday.
The course, which was established back in 1947, is the oldest and most successful degree in intimate apparel making it well known in the industry.
In honour of their course, third year students showcased their hard work over the past two years at a catwalk show in All Saints Church on Highcross Street.
Course representative, Ffion Piper, 24, helped to organise the show, she said: “The anniversary of the course means there will be many more exciting things to come. Improvements and increased support from the industry means the course is constantly developing and becoming more progressive.”
The course has seen many graduates enter top jobs over the years including into international companies such as Victoria’s Secret USA, Calvin Klein, John Lewis and Asos.
Ffion added how she is ‘excited to be graduating on the 70th anniversary’ as she believes that ‘the course has become so much more fashion forward in the last ten years.’
Catwalk model and student, Charley Chiddle said: “I really enjoy taking part in these catwalk shows as it is a way of showing how much we have achieved in a relatively short time. I think it was a great way to show our gratitude towards our tutors and celebrate the success of the course over the years.”
Charley Chiddle models her own design.Friday’s show raised just under £500 and the students will donate £200 of the money to All Saints Church to help with the upkeep of the building and to thank them for letting the students use it as a venue.
The remaining money raised is to be added to the ‘Third Year Promo Fund’, which is a fund to pay for photographers and models to help make the student’s portfolio up to industry standard.
This catwalk is just one of many that the students have organised throughout their university degree.
Ffion added: “These catwalks mean we are able to put together everything we have learnt in the first and second year. It creates a challenge for us and helps to push our boundaries.”
During their second year showcase, subject leader Gillian Proctor told The Demon Magazine that she was ‘delighted with the standard of creativity and innovation’, adding that she ‘hopes for exciting things to come in 2017.’
