On Friday (24 February) BA Fashion Design student, Janine Clark, was crowned Alfa Romeo Young Designer of the Year 2012 at an award ceremony and catwalk show hosted in Edinburgh, by fashion expert Brix Smith-Start.
The 22-year-old undergraduate, chosen by an expert judging panel in partnership with the prestigious St Andrews Charity Fashion Show, created a stunning four-piece collection, taking inspiration from the Alfa MiTo colour palette and using a concept of reinvented 1940s silhouettes to create her Autumn/Winter catwalk trend.
All five finalists were asked to focus on the Alfa Romeo brand as an expression through fashion with particular attention to the theme ‘unearthed’ – a concept of rediscovering the past.
On accepting her award, Janine said: “Presenting in front of the judges was really daunting but I was so excited to show my collection, and I’m very proud to have won this amazing award. There have been highs and lows throughout the entire process but I’ve loved every minute of it and am overjoyed to see my final collection on the catwalk.
“The opposition was fierce and I just can’t believe I am the winner. What I hoped to achieve throughout all of my designs was to use subtle details which captured the sophistication, beautiful sculptures and the Italian style of Alfa Romeo.”
Presenting Janine with her award, which included £1,000 in prize money and further funding to produce a clothing range for the Muir Maxwell Trust, Damien Dally, Head of Brand, Alfa Romeo UK, commented: “Janine was a deserving winner as her attention to detail was exceptional, and her passion for her designs really stood out. She captured the spirit of the Alfa Romeo brand but added her own style to create a truly unique collection.
“The standard was extremely high this year and all five finalists should be proud of themselves, any of them would have been worthy winners. The award is now in its second year, and we’re very proud to be working with St Andrews to support emerging fashion talent in the UK. I’m sure that all our finalists have very bright futures ahead of them.”
The five finalists’ garments not only featured at the Edinburgh Award night but were also seen on the catwalk at the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show on the Saturday night – the largest student-run fashion show in the UK – made famous by the Duchess of Cambridge.
