NTU student Charlotte Rollings wins ‘Fashion Awareness Direct’ competition

British Fashion Design student Charlotte Rollings has been named the winner of the 2016 Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) competition. Rollings was amongst the seventeen undergraduates shortlisted for the award and showed two looks consisting of cotton shirts, basic black trousers and canvas jackets in white and purple. The design competition, which strives to provide talented fashion students and recent graduates with a platform as well as the opportunity to win a grant, was based on a brief to “promote original design by integrating art and culture into fashion”. The competition’s finale took place in London on the final day of the city’s Fashion Week. The inspiration for her designs came from a poem written by the designer.

”It is so amazing to have that commendation from industry ahead of my graduate collection,” commented Rollings. “It has given me a real confidence boost. The prize money is so valuable and will give me creative freedom over the fabrics and materials I can choose for my final collection. It has been a great experience.” The 23-year old Nottingham Trent University (NTU) student was awarded a 1.000 pound grant for her winning collection.

Vanessa Spence, head of design at Asos and one of the members of the jury, said the following about Rollings’ work: “I loved Charlotte’s interpretation of the brief and the level of creativity and storytelling in her portfolio. She demonstrated great skill in her pattern cutting and attention to detail in the construction of her garments.”

The FAD Competition was first organized fifteen years ago. The competition is open to students from all British universities, and always takes place simultaneously with London Fashion Week. This year’s runners up were NTU student Chloe Jackson and Norwich University of Arts student Alice Potts. Other finalists included Andres Bucher (London College of Fashion), Lauren Glen (Manchester School of Art) and Alexander Krantz (Central Saint Martins). The jury consisted of six fashion insiders, including FAD CEO Maria Alvarez and ‘The Times Style Magazine’ editor Jackie Annesley, as well as FAD competition finalist Olivia Overton who participated in the previous edition.

Image credit: FAD Facebook