24 April 2009

Fashion icon Erin O'Connor brings extra glamour to Dundee degree show

Fashion superstar Erin O’Connor is set to add high octane glamour to this year’s Degree Show at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee.

Erin is one of the world's top models and is also chair of the British Fashion Council and a trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum. She will help launch this year’s Degree Show at a special VIP preview night on Wednesday 20th May which has been sponsored by Unicorn Property Group, the lead private developers of Dundee waterfront including the iconic developments at the Clock Tower and DundeeOne.

Erin said she was eager to see the wealth of creative talent Degree Show has to offer.

'I am looking forward to meeting the students and seeing their work,' said Erin. 'I know how important degree shows are to demonstrate the incredible creativity that there is, which in turn contributes to our country’s economy and a richer life experience.'

The preview night will include an opening catwalk show of degree exhibits from students in Jewellery and Textile Design.

'We are delighted to welcome Erin O’Connor to Degree Show this year,' said Professor Georgina Follett, Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.

'Erin is one of the world’s leading models and the students in particular are absolutely thrilled that she will be taking part in this year’s Degree Show events. Her interest in and support of fashion and design chimes very strongly with the ideas our students are pursuing.'

'We are also extremely grateful to Unicorn Property Group for providing sponsorship for the opening night show.'

Tim Allan, director of Unicorn Property Group, said, 'We are absolutely delighted to be able to support and recognise the wealth of talent that Duncan of Jordanstone produces each year. As a creative and design driven property company ourselves, Unicorn has been reinvigorating the Dundee Waterfront for the last 3 years. We are great advocates for the City and its many attributes and supporting the Degree Show this year is a great pleasure and honour for us.'

The hugely popular annual Degree Show, which attracts thousands of visitors, will have a new look this year as it moves into new premises at the Vision Building at Seabraes in Dundee, which has been made available to the College by James Keiller Services, on behalf of Horizon Capital.

This year’s show will be held in the Vision building from May 23rd to June 6th, in what promises to be a stunning exhibition of work from this year’s art and design graduates.

Over 260 graduating students will be displaying their degree projects, across the disciplines of fine art, design, textiles, jewellery, animation and digital imaging.

Degree Show will cap a very successful year for the College, which is part of the University of Dundee. It was rated one of the UK’s top colleges for research in art and design in the Research Assessment Exercise 2008.

The College has also been a driving force in the 'V&A Dundee - Making It Happen’ project which aims to attract the Victoria & Albert Museum to establish a presence in the city.

For more information on this year’s Degree Show see www.dundee.ac.uk/degreeshow.

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