Designers of the future
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Fashion Institute and Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation co-hosted an outdoor fashion show in Taikoo Place last Thursday to showcase the work of the school's fashion graduates.
Seventeen collections designed by graduates of the institute were displayed on the catwalk, all of which had been previously seen at the London Graduate Fashion Week.
All the models in the Hong Kong show had been selected and trained by the foundation.
'This is my first outdoor fashion show - I think it's an incredible experience,' UCLan Fashion Institute graduate, Maria Manfred, said. 'The models in Hong Kong are amazing. They did a great job of making the clothes look good.
'Some of them are still students but they're very confident and look really professional.
'Hong Kong is also a very forward place in terms of fashion and I am looking for more chances to have shows here again.'
Gemma Garnham, another UCLan graduate, said: 'I'm really excited about this event. It's the first time [I've done] a fashion show that involves the general public. In London all the shows require tickets. This one is for everyone: whether they're in the fashion industry or not, they can come to see what a catwalk show is like.'
Terry Mansfield, chairman of the London Graduate Fashion Week, The Hearst Group, said: 'It takes an institution with ambition, determination and pure energy to take forward such a concept as the Fashion Institute and turn it into reality - and what a reality, holding the launch in one of the world's best international fashion places, Hong Kong.'
