GCU students live their fashion dream as designs hit the high street

Two BA (Hons) Fashion Design with Business students have had their work showcased in the window of a Glasgow City Centre store.

Abby Craig and Emily Malcomson’s tartan streetwear creations were selected as the winners of a competition judged by highlandwear specialists, MacGregor and MacDuff.

We spoke to Abby and Emily, who are both in third year, to find out more about their designs, and to hear how it felt to see their work making the transition onto the high street.

First of all, tell me how this opportunity all came about?

Emily: “Each year we have a specific fashion design module where we create a mini-collection during one trimester and then create one of the outfits from it in the other trimester. There’s a partnership in place between GCU and MacGregor and MacDuff, and there was then a brief surrounding that. Everything basically came together and our mini-collection tied into the style of MacGregor and MacDuff.”

Abby, what appealed to you about creating designs for MacGregor and MacDuff?

Abby: “I obviously knew someone was going to win at the end, but something was making me try that wee bit harder than usual. I’m quite an anxious person so the thought of me winning this and being put in the spotlight is pretty much a no go. However,  I think the prospect of having your work displayed definitely acts as an incentive because it makes you feel that bit more accomplished as a student. I never thought I would have the chance to have my work displayed in a shop window.”

Tell me a bit about the brief you were given for creating your designs?

Abby: “There was a streetwear brief and we had to incorporate tartan in a more contemporary way. It was challenging and a bit daunting but once we got into it the whole process became a lot easier.”

Emily: “MacGregor and MacDuff are quite a traditional tartan and kilt business, and we were tasked with bringing them into a more modern setting through using accents of their tartan. The tartans we had to use were actually their own designs of tartan and not just the traditional family names.

“There was definitely a bit of pressure there. When we made our mini-collections we actually had to present to a couple of people higher up within MacGregor and MacDuff, but even that was an experience that gave me more confidence.”

What did your specific designs focus on?

Abby: “I used the artist Damien Hirst as my inspiration to decide on shapes and the style of the design. I went with an asymmetrical look with my jacket having one side cropped and one side full length. One part of my trousers are denim and the other part is like a joggy fabric, and it’s the opposite on the other side. I wanted to keep it modern but have a bit of a twist through using Damien Hirst as my inspiration.”

Emily: “My original inspiration was street art around Glasgow and other places. It was actually quite a fun activity to go around Glasgow and look at all the street art. You can’t really see it but I deconstructed these pieces of art and pulled them together on the final piece. My main theme is deconstruction and my design's got quite a few panels and sections. There’s also a deconstructed tartan in loose strips throughout.”

The GCU Fashion Showcase in June allowed you and the judges see your designs modelled for the first time, that must have been an amazing experience?

Abby: “Monique McPhie, Head of Marketing at MacGregor and MacDuff, came along and I think her decision was very visual in terms of who would win the competition at that point when she saw the different designs. That was our first ever fashion show so it was a really big deal for us. When I finally did see mine I would say I felt kind of overwhelmed actually, I was really proud of myself.”

Emily: “It was kind of surreal actually because when the model actually came down I was like ‘oh my god, that’s my work’. It was a really proud moment because it’s quite a stressful process going from design through to making it, so finally getting to see it made it all worth it.”

Seeing it on the catwalk is one thing but the prospect of seeing it in a shop window must be on another level for both of you as designers. Take me back to when you found out you had won the competition?

Emily: “An email got sent out to our whole class announcing the winners. I hadn’t actually seen the email and people were messaging me saying congratulations and I didn’t have a clue what was going on! It’s definitely a confidence boost that I’m on the right path with my career and where I want to be in future.”

Abby: “When I got the email, I was just kind of sat there like ‘this has got to be wrong’. I was running about my house, shouting on my mum, telling her she had to come and see.

“The other thing I want to point out is how much of a support our lecturer Laura Hardingham has been. Hats off to her because we were very stressed during the process of it all!”

How did it feel when you finally got to see your work in the window of the MacGregor and MacDuff store?

Abby: “I think it was around the end of August when they were put up. It honestly didn’t feel real and it’s something I never expected to have at this stage in my career – it’s a big deal!”

Emily: “I’d subtly walked by a few times to see if it was up so when it finally happened it was incredible. They had our names on the window as well and that was probably the bit that got me the most!”

“As Abby said, it’s definitely an accomplishment at this point and I definitely never expected it when I started out at University.”

By Ross Clark      
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter