6 October 2006

Fashion giants have designs on Dundee graduates

Textile Design graduates from the University of Dundee are being courted by international fashion giants after they were chosen to show their work at a major European trade fair.

Lucinda Galt and Selina Law both graduated BDes (Hons) in Textile Design from Duncan of Jordanstone College in summer 2006. They have since been selected for the prestigious Texprint programme and have just returned from showing their work at Indigo-Paris, the most important international textile design trade fair in Europe.

Lucinda (24), from Dundee, whose knitted textile designs were described as having "an irreverent wit", sold work to a number of European companies including the Italian manufacturer Stefanel Spa, Custo in Barcelona and Calao in Madrid.

Selina (22), from Ballymoney in Northern Ireland, showed an innovative collection of woven fabrics which sold to Calvin Klein, and the Italian company Paninidue.

Both Lucinda and Selina have since been approached by international companies including Tommy Hilfiger and Zorlu and have been invited to interviews in London.

"It has been an amazing experience to go from the Degree Show here in Dundee to one of the big international fashion fairs," said Selina. "It was a great opportunity to experience that sort of environment, and that is what has been great about Texprint, bridging that gap between the student setting and the commercial market."

"We have both sold work at Indigo Paris, but even better than that have been the contacts we have made with people in the industry," said Lucinda.

Selina and Lucinda returned to Duncan of Jordanstone College this week to speak to this year’s final-year Textile Design students about their experience in Paris.

The graduates were picked up by Texprint after displaying their work in the annual Duncan of Jordanstone College Degree Show in Dundee.

Texprint, the only project of its kind dedicated to promoting new talent in the textile design industry, seeks out 24 of the most talented new textile designers graduating from colleges and universities throughout Britain. Over 200 applicants who have been recommended as "best in class" are interviewed for the programme.

Texprint provides an invaluable service to international industry, helping to find the creative talent it needs. Funded by donations from worldwide industry and charitable grant givers, Texprint has partnerships with many of the famous designers and brand names in fashion.

As well as the Paris fair, Lucinda and Selina also displayed their work at Texprint’s prestigious First View exhibition in London in July.

"This is all great news for Lucinda and Selina, and also for the college as a whole," said Janet Shelley, course leader for the Textile Design programme at Duncan of Jordanstone College.

"We reconfigured our Textile Design programme and Lucinda and Selina are among the first group of students to come through the new course, so it is extremely encouraging to hear that they have been well received in the international market."

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk