A Textile Design student who took inspiration from ripple patterns seen in nature has won a prestigious award presented by celebrity stylist Gok Wan.
Kieran Pathak-Mould, who graduates this month from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), has won the Textiles Design award at the annual Fashanne Awards.
Gok Wan congratulates Kieran Pathak-Mould (centre) as he collects his award (Photo: Rupert Gibson Photography)
The 23-year-old said: “I was so shocked when I was announced as the winner because there was so much amazing competition but was also so pleased to have all of my work and efforts recognised and appreciated.
“I felt so lucky to have that kind of affirmation from so many industry professionals.”
Fashanne, now in its second year, is a fashion awards event for hundreds of final year students from six universities in the East Midlands - DMU, Nottingham Trent, Derby, Northampton, Loughborough and Lincoln.
Finalists had their collections put on display in a two-day exhibition before the awards night itself inside the vaulted St Mary’s Church, the largest medieval building in Nottingham.
The students’ exhibits were judged by a panel of fashion, style, film and media experts, with Gok Wan as lead judge, in four main award categories; Fashion, Knitwear, Textile, and Footwear and Accessory Design, plus a one-off People’s vote.
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“The awards evening had a great atmosphere,” added Kieran, from Leicester, who won a £1,000 cash prize with his award.
“There were lots of sponsors and professionals to talk with and it was exciting to be around so many like-minded people with the same interest in fashion and textiles as myself.
“It felt quite grand and extravagant.
“There was also a catwalk show which all of the students took part in and for which I made a jumper and skirt.
“I was proud of them as it was not a requirement of my course to make products or garments, so it forced me to do something I've always wanted to attempt and nice to see my textiles in an actual product.”
Kieran took design inspiration from the natural world, taking photos of beaches in Wales and in woodlands, and then sketching and doodling recurring themes.
His subsequent project was called "the ripple effect" because it was inspired by ripples in water and sand to convey the relentless and repetitive nature of the natural world. He predominantly used the ripple knit stitch on many of his samples, securing embellishments without a needle and thread by using knitted fabrics.
Earlier this year, Kieran was awarded The David Bethel Bursary by the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters, a trade guild dating back to the 16th century which supports the knitting and hosiery industry.
The £2,500 bursary included an industry mentor for Kieran and he will be invited to a guild banquet this autumn at Fishmongers’ Hall in London where he will receive his award parchment.
He also travelled to Paris as part of DMU’s trip to Premièr Vision, one of the fashion industry’s most prominent exhibitions, where students showcased their work.
The other seven DMU students nominated for the 2017 Fashanne Awards were Lauren Nisbet, Mollie Blue Falkingham, Yu-Lin Liao (Linda), Hannah Barnett, Grace Wilson, Amy Withington and Eleanor Bandey.
Posted on Thursday 6 July 2017