My favourite alumini include Charlotte Helyar (class of 2010) who is an assistant print designer for Stella McCartney. I was lucky enough to photograph her graduate lookbook - which I'll keep for when she's world famous! Then there's Lauren Smith who won the Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award 2013 and Holly Fulton (class of 2000) who is one of London Fashion Week's top designers.
The costume designer alumni are also super talented as Anna Robbins (class of 2005) designs costumes for Downton Abbey, and the Game of Thrones costume design team includes Katy Taylor and Emma O'Loughlin (both class of 2010).
The ECA catwalk show for this year's graduates was held last week, and it was the third year I'd attended the wonderful event. I managed to find seats at the end of the catwalk, which was a pretty good spot for taking photos and videos with my friend Ema. Throughout the show we were commenting on the designs that impressed us the most. We also admired the choreography and the excellent choice of music which suited each collection so well.
My top picks from the Edinburgh College of Art show are below. I expect to see amazing things from these guys in the future so watch out! Thank you to Gareth Easton for the beautifully captured photographs.
Sarah Innes
Sarah has been working on her Masters graduate collection, due to be released in August. The two prototypes showcased have already gained a lot of attention as Sarah has taken the sports luxe look to a whole new level. I love how the tracksuit top merges into a swooping skirt that's like a fresh take on an Oscar de la Renta dress silhouette.
Nina Cutler
Nina's golden collection is titled 'Forty Elephants.' After researching, I discovered this was the name of a female gang of thieves which formed in the late 1700s in London. They wore tailored coats, hats and skirts sewn with hidden pockets to steal valuable goods from West End stores.
Andrew Dhesi
'The Lost Boy' was my favourite menswear collection. It consists of sheer fabric and laser cut designs that create lattice patterns and faces. The perspex headpieces were also very impressive.
Eleanor Paulin
'Genetic Metamorphosis' is a stunning collection made from colourful hand motifs and strands of fabric which represent the need for diversity in the fashion industry.
Melissa Villevielle
Melissa's collection is called 'Fauve, moi?' and features bold stripes made from tiny beads, which must have required many sleepless nights in the making of it! The exaggerated proportions added to the impact of this collection.
Kiki McKenzie
'You do not Have to be Your Mother' was hands down the most fun collection of the night. It's an eccentric mash-up of colourful sequins, fur and plastic snakeskin. I loved that the models danced to 1980s tune 'She Drives Me Crazy' straight after they walked!
What do you think of the work from these talented designer graduates? I can't wait to see what's next for each of them.
Love from Lou Lou
