Money talks - and walks - as fashion students at a London college proved when they debuted their collections on Wednesday.
Students at the Camden Working Men's College wowed crowds with their Made of Money catwalk show, despite many of them having had no previous experience. The students, some of them as young as 16, were set the task of designing money-inspired outfits by currency company World First, who sponsored the show.
Morteza Ibrahimi, winner of the competition, told The Huffington Post UK: “I really enjoyed working on this project and I feel like I learned a lot from the process. It was really hard work but it has made me realise how much I want to be a designer.
Morteza Ibrahimi's winning design
"I used a Victorian shape for my dress with the crinoline and then embellished it with notes folded into heart shapes. I used calico, wires and laser printed paper. It was difficult, and I went over budget, but it was worth it. I learned how difficult and time consuming it is to work on such a detailed piece. However, I loved the result and so did the judges, which is a great bonus.”
Saskia Niderost, programme manager at Camden Working Men’s College, said: "Our students have really enjoyed working on the ‘Made of Money’ challenge. Live briefs give them invaluable experience working with clients while on the course.
"If you consider that these designers are foundation level the results are really impressive, I’m thrilled with how the project has turned out."
Alfred Jouanneau, one of the finalists, added: "Working on a client brief was a first for me. The pressure to finish on time and on budget made me work harder than I’ve ever done in my life. I am really pleased with the outcome. I already knew I want to be a designer, but the feedback I got from the judges made me realise it could actually happen. It’s been a great few months."
The design project aimed to give the next generation a chance to interpret a professional brief, in order to prepare them for the working world. The designers who had their work showcased on the catwalk were picked from their class after students submitted drawings last year.
Jonathan Quin, managing director of World First. added: "London Fashion Week is not all about the glitz and glamour of the main shows, it’s also about these other events where the next generation get a chance to showcase their talents.
"Who knows we might have unearthed the next big thing, but at the very least we’ve given the students a chance to work on a creative brief and deliver a show of their own."