Interviews
Heriot-Watt textile design student heads for Echo Design
08 Jun '09
2 min read
Final year Heriot-Watt University textile design student Nadia Castagna, aged 22, is set to take the first step towards what could be a glittering career when she takes up a week long placement with the renowned Echo Design Company in New York.
Echo is one of the foremost accessory design companies in the world and Nadia was selected for the placement after her work was featured in the highly successful “It's not only the Queen….” scarf exhibition at the Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh in February 2009.
“Being chosen to go to New York and work with some of the most influential people in fashion and design is like a dream come true”, said Nadia. “I have had a fantastic four years at the School of Textiles and Design in Galashiels and now the hard work really begins! It is an opportunity of a life time and one that I hope leads to a full time career in fashion, which is my passion.”
Nadia's placement, which will run from 8 June for a week has been generously sponsored by Borders based Murray Hogarth Limited, which has a retail outlet in Melrose “The Scarf Shop, Bags, Beads and Beyond.” Managing Director Charles Hogarth is a graduate from Galashiels – as was his father and more recently, his daughter. “Because of my family connection with the college we were delighted to sponsor Nadia, who is an extremely talented designer with a very bright future ahead of her.”
While the global downturn may be impacting on sales of big-ticket fashion items, Charles Hogarth has actually seen an upturn in his business. “We seem to be bucking the trend. Because of the credit-crunch people are accessorising rather than buying new outfits. Our scarves are sourced from Elgin to Delhi and all places in between and we have been busier than ever this year.”
Mark Parker, Nadia's course director in Galashiels believes that “this opportunity reinforces the School of Textiles and Design as a world-provider of the education of professionals and practitioners in the global fashion and textile design industry.”
Echo is one of the foremost accessory design companies in the world and Nadia was selected for the placement after her work was featured in the highly successful “It's not only the Queen….” scarf exhibition at the Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh in February 2009.
“Being chosen to go to New York and work with some of the most influential people in fashion and design is like a dream come true”, said Nadia. “I have had a fantastic four years at the School of Textiles and Design in Galashiels and now the hard work really begins! It is an opportunity of a life time and one that I hope leads to a full time career in fashion, which is my passion.”
Nadia's placement, which will run from 8 June for a week has been generously sponsored by Borders based Murray Hogarth Limited, which has a retail outlet in Melrose “The Scarf Shop, Bags, Beads and Beyond.” Managing Director Charles Hogarth is a graduate from Galashiels – as was his father and more recently, his daughter. “Because of my family connection with the college we were delighted to sponsor Nadia, who is an extremely talented designer with a very bright future ahead of her.”
While the global downturn may be impacting on sales of big-ticket fashion items, Charles Hogarth has actually seen an upturn in his business. “We seem to be bucking the trend. Because of the credit-crunch people are accessorising rather than buying new outfits. Our scarves are sourced from Elgin to Delhi and all places in between and we have been busier than ever this year.”
Mark Parker, Nadia's course director in Galashiels believes that “this opportunity reinforces the School of Textiles and Design as a world-provider of the education of professionals and practitioners in the global fashion and textile design industry.”
Heriot-Watt University
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