As excitement builds ahead of the launch of Newcastle Fashion Week, Ruth Addicott talks to some of the talented young designers showcasing their work.

BODYBUILDERS, parachutes and clothing worn in the Antarctic aren’t the first things that spring to mind when it comes to new trends – but they have provided a source of inspiration for students at Newcastle Fashion Week.

The event, which will be attended by leading designers such as Wayne Hemingway and Scott Henshall, is a huge opportunity for final year students at Northumbria University’s School of Design, who will get the chance to showcase their work at a fashion show at The Baltic, in Newcastle, on May 19.

Jennifer Broome, 22, from Coxhoe, County Durham, turned to the RAF for inspiration for her womenswear collection, using harnesses to add a military feel and give the effect of parachutes.

It took her the best part of a year to complete and features 11 pieces, including silk dresses with leather and suede harnesses at the waist and over the shoulders.

“It’s quite a casual look, but I’m aiming at the high end of the market,” she says. “The idea came from RAF pilots and military wear. I took inspiration from parachute strapping, primarily, with prints and colours inspired by bird and butterfly wings.”

Jennifer used traditional fabrics such as silk, chiffon, cotton and wool.

“Waxed linen, leather and suede all feature, but I have used vintage/recycled skunk fur on a clutch bag. It’s not relevant to my theme, but it does look good,” she says.

Her collection also features accessories, including a wool and leather backpack and an oversized red felt pork pie hat. The stand out piece is a huge wing print skirt, which she admits is also her favourite.

Jennifer is keeping her options open with regards to a career in fashion and enjoys the design and technical side.

“Given the choice, I’d love to work within a design team at a label I admire, such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, Burberry, Dries Van Noten or Alexander McQueen,” she says.

All the students exhibiting at the show have come up with something original, including Jenni Moore, from Backworth, Newcastle, who’s created a menswear collection that gives men a more ‘masculine’ shape. She was inspired by the current obsession with body image and her designs are heavily influenced by body building (her father was a bodybuilder when she was young).

“The collection focuses on how a man can change his silhouette through training and how this shape can be imitated by sculpting a garment,”

she says. “Specific body areas, such as muscles and veins, became a pivotal point of my research and I used pleating and draping to emulate their texture.”

Emma Dobson, 23, from South West Denton, Newcastle, was influenced by US socialite and model Edie Bouvier Beale, who was famous for reusing and mismatching garments. Emma used scraps of material from suppliers and got friends to donate their unwanted clothes. “My aim was to create a ‘magpie montage’, a purposefully thrown-together look,” she says. “I wanted to show how an eclectic collection of reclaimed remnants, salvaged seconds and found fabrications could be fused together to take on a whole new lease of life.”

Laura Bailey, 22, from York, turned to the worlds of fantasy and realism to create the idea of a woman with a split personality, while Deborah Harkins, 22, based her menswear collection on clothing worn by British Antarctic explorers and the traditional Inuit costume. The French Revolution provided inspiration for Harriet Ferris, who put a contemporary twist on historic techniques such as lace-making and smocking. There is also a vintage feel to the Fifties-inspired collection by Ellen Barnes, who took ideas from classic films such as High Society and Rear Window.

“I take classic pieces such as the trench coat and suit and update them by playing with proportion and scale,” she says. “I incorporate a lot of menswear detailing, such as men’s waistbands on women’s trousers.”

Previous graduates from Northumbria University’s School of Design have gone on to work for companies such as Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Abercrombie & Fitch and Escada.

Newcastle Fashion Week will feature catwalk shows, exhibitions and discount VIP evenings throughout the city, and Wayne Hemingway, creator of the Red or Dead label and the Vintage Festival, will deliver a lecture on Monday, May 16. There will also be fashion makeovers, demonstrations by make-up artists and tips from stylists on offer in stores and shopping centres.

Pop-up shop Made in Newcastle, in Grainger Street, is creating a themed Fashion Week boutique to showcase Newcastle-based designers and a special Make & Mend Fashion market will be hosted at The Star & Shadow Cinema, in Stepney Bank, next Saturday. A ‘shop-crawl’ and tours involving Newcastle’s independent fashion stores and designers will also run all week with prizes on offer.

􀁧 The Northumbria University’s School of Design Fashion Show will be held at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art on Thursday, May 19. For information and tickets, visit northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/ scd/whatson/news/fsnewcastle.

Pop in to the pop-up shop

IF you’re looking for original artwork, vintage picture frames or handmade jewellery, check out Just Me, in Middlesbrough.

The shop, which specialises in handmade gifts, is owned by artist and designer Michelle Parratt, who makes 90 per cent of the stock.

She sells everything from her own artwork to handmade jewellery (from £10) and cushions (from £14.95), which she has customised with handmade buttons.

There is a selection of cards and gift hampers along with vintage picture frames, mirrors and furniture which she has restored and revamped herself.

Michelle, who lives in Middlesbrough, has been given the shop rent-free for six months by the council to help her start her business.

She has a background in retail and design. After getting a degree in interior textiles and floor covering design, she moved to the region 12 years ago to work as a designer for Armstrong World Industries. She has been working from home for the past two years and needed somewhere to exhibit her work.

The shop will close mid-June when the lease comes to an end and Michelle is hoping to find space in another shop to keep her business going.

􀁧 Just Me is located in the Corner Emporium, in The Mall, Middlesbrough