High street to sell wool designs of Kingston varsity grads

The high street brand asked fashion students to come up with a range of bright and bold designs specifically tailored for larger women.

“We were asked to design for a muse, but I didn’t want to choose anyone famous so I looked for inspiration online. I came across a blog by a lady living in Canada – she had posted lots of photos of her in city locations and I really loved her sense of style,” Rebecca explained.

The 21 year old, from Emsworth in Hampshire, came up with a colourful print using bright pinks, blues and yellows, based on a fictitious character that travels through New York City by balloon.

Her initial collection comprised six garments, including two jumpers, a cardigan and a dress.  “I didn’t think plus-size ranges had enough colour in them, so I deliberately made my collection very vibrant,” she said.

Evans was so impressed with her garments the company decided to produce five of the original six pieces. Itsteam of designers also developed a pair of leggings and a tube skirt using Rebecca’s print to add to the collection.

Rebecca said designing for plus-size women was quite different to the work she had done in the past as she had to think more about body shape and consider what would work for a particular figure.

Principal design lecturer Samantha Elliott said the successes of the three students really highlighted Kingston University’s strong reputation for knitwear. Kingston placed considerable emphasis on linking students with major brands throughout their studies to prepare them for work in the fashion industry, she added.

“From the second year of the degree course, all the projects the students work on are industry linked, so they have to think extremely carefully about the clients they are designing for and the markets they are targeting,” Ms Elliot said. “This helps ensure our graduates are as work-ready as possible by the time they leave us and gives them an edge in what is a very competitive jobs market.”  

Siobhan and Trina’s jumpers are currently on sale in Topshop and Topman’s Oxford Street store and are also available to buy online, while Rebecca’s knitwear collection will be filling the rails of Evans’ flagship store in Marble Arch, London, early next year.

Kingston University