One of the world’s most famous lingerie brands is to celebrate its 100th birthday by showcasing a collection at De Montfort University Leicester’s (DMU) Contour Fashion Show in London on Monday.
Zara Hoggard's luxurious velvet collection
Gossard is a long-time partner of DMU’s Contour Fashion course, which specialises in lingerie, swimwear, nightwear, sportswear and corsetry, so the company is celebrating this association and its 100th anniversary by putting on a catwalk show in the opulent Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden.
Gossard’s involvement in the show has added an extra level of prestige to an annual event which attracts some of the contour industry’s biggest names, as well as national and international media.
Third year Contour Fashion students create their final collections and a panel of judges decide which collections will make it onto the catwalk. This year 20 students were chosen as finalists.
Geometric swimwear by Grace Garner
Gossard and Berlei general manager, Elise Recour, visited last year’s show and coined the name “Glamourzonian” to sum up what she had seen on the catwalk.
She said at the time, “I think through this collection we are seeing the strength of women and the empowered woman coming back on the catwalk. There was this mixture of the fragile, the feminine and the strong. I called it Glamourzonian!”
Contour Fashion students began their final year with Gossard working upon a ‘black label’ design competition. Gossard selected four winners: Rebecca Harkin, Eliza McCann, Indiana Maslin and Betsan Evans. The winning garments will be showcased on the catwalk on Monday.
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Ellie Carta's sexy, black lace lingerie
The connections between Gossard and DMU do not end there. In fact, they stretch right back to the days of Fred Burley, who founded the Berlei underwear brand in Australia in 1917. As Head of the Corset Guild of Great Britain, he was instrumental in establishing the DMU Contour Fashion course in 1947 to support the corset industry.
Gillian Proctor, course leader for Contour Fashion, said: “I think Gossard’s support is tantamount to the continued passion, enthusiasm and support the industry offers our course to which we are so grateful.
“The interaction between the creativity and technical development of our students’ work is an on-going process which has to be nurtured and then celebrated. I think these collaborations are vital for the future of the industry.
“The support from Gossard and all of our other sponsors means our students’ work can be showcased to an international audience and get them the sort of recognition many could only dream about.”
Luxury resort-wear by Megan Hall
The 20 Contour Fashion students whose collections will hit Monday’s catwalk are: Louisa Haywood, Louise Saynor, Rachael Watson, Zara Hoggard, Hannah Crawford, Joleigh Duncan, Eliza McCann, Thea Rostant, Charlotte Britten, Grace Garner, Helen Tieman, Indiana Maslin, Harriet Merry, Megan Blakemore, Becky Harkins, Katherine Blake, Megan Hall, Betsan Evans, Kathryn Pomfret and Ellie Carta.
DMU Contour Fashion is the oldest and most successful degree-level course in intimate apparel and is widely regarded by industry experts as one of the best in the world.
Posted on Friday 10 June 2016