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Scottish textiles showcased in New York
05/04/2010
Innovative and creative designs took centre stage during Scotland Week as the American fashion industry embraced Scottish culture, heritage and top-quality textiles.
Students from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York showed off their creations designed for the "City Meets Country, Scotland Means Style" competition.
The fashion competition, sponsored by Scottish Development International, asked students to design for evening wear, sportswear and city wear using Scottish fabrics. There was also a competition for interior design students to create a penthouse suite for a luxury hotel in Edinburgh, inspired by Scotland's beauty.
Minister for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced the winners at a reception in New York today. Prizes for the top designers include the opportunity to spend a week with one of Scotland's leading textiles companies and a placement with a top Scottish interior design studio in New York.
Ms Hyslop said:
"Scotland has a world-wide reputation for the design and manufacture of beautiful, high-quality fabrics. Many of the world's leading designers - Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein and Vivienne Westwood, to name but a few - have embraced these fabrics and I'm delighted to see the designers of the future being inspired to create such unique pieces.
"This project increases awareness of Scotland's capability in textiles design and manufacturing to the important US market. Such promotion of a key industry overseas is a vital part of increasing exports and growing Scotland's economy.
"These talented young designers have certainly created a buzz around New York with their distinctively Scottish designs. I hope this experience will inspire them to continue working with Scottish textiles, further strengthening the connections between Scotland and the US."
Marilyn Hefferen, contest coordinator and assistant professor in FIT's Department of Fashion Design, said:
"Scottish textiles have been the foundation for fashion and apparel for decades. This was an opportunity for our students to work with some of the finest textiles in the world from Scotland's most prestigious brands."
Designs were evaluated for creativity, innovation, and use of fabric and colour by a panel of judges including designer Sandra Murray MBE; Gant creative director Brian Rennie; Vogue.com UK fashion news editor Lauren Milligan; and Edinburgh College of Art's head of fashion Malcolm Burkinshaw.
Sandra Murray, Scottish designer and competition judge, said:
"The entries were clearly inspired by Scottish tweeds, giving their designs a beautiful subtlety of colour that reflected the Scottish landscape. We chose the most original and creative garments with a strong, contemporary twist to a traditional theme that would look great on any global platform. It was interesting for us to see what designers outside the UK perceived to be Scottish, and we were impressed by their ambitious designs."
Names of the winners are as follows:
Fashion design:
1. Yoko Okuda (evening wear); 2. Jusil Carroll (evening wear); 3. Carlynne Cutler, (city wear).
Interior design:
1. Kecia Mortensen, "King Robert the Bruce Penthouse"; 2. John Feger, "The Eagle Suite"; 3. Tammy Lee, "The Penthouse at Carnegie".
The 12 finalists were provided with fabrics from Scottish companies Reid & Taylor, Robert Noble, Johnstons of Elgin, Lochcarron, Calzeat & Co, Harris Tweed Hebrides, Harris Tweed Textiles, and Holland & Sherry. Designs will be showcased in New York during Scotland Week and will be on display in the Scottish Parliament this summer.
For more information on Fashion Institute of Technology go to www.fitnyc.edu
For more information on the Scottish textiles industry, visit: http://www.sdi.co.uk/Home/Key%20Industries/Textiles.aspx
Scotland Week 2010 runs from April 3 to 10. More information at www.scotland.org/scotland-week
The Scottish textiles industry employs more than 10,000 people in 665 companies, with a combined turnover of around £1 billion. The majority of companies are Scottish owned. Over 40 per cent of the companies export overseas, accounting for £360 million in sales to key markets in Europe, the USA and the Far East.
Scaling up support for exports and attracting new investment is a crucial element of the Scottish Government's Economic Recovery Plan. Work is under way across the public sector to deliver that plan, accelerate recovery and improve the long term performance of Scotland's economy. For more information see: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/03/03084300/0