The talented and ambitious students at Chichester College present
their final designs.

Forget what's on the high street. For fashion students at Chichester College, the inspiration goes way beyond the current trends.

They may have started their two-year BTec National Diploma in fashion and clothing looking to the clothes in stores like Top Shop and H&M.

But by the end they are very much doing their own thing, encouraged to take flights of fancy in fabric by course leader Maria Pulley.

Their end-of-diploma collections, which have been modelled at the annual fashion show at the college, is a chance for them to design and create outfits that are really out there, with their own stamps very much on them.

This was a particularly strong year, according to Maria, who is proud of the course's growing reputation, and she had the tough task of picking just three young designers for our photo and video shoot.

"We had lots of really interesting designs this year on very varied themes," she enthuses.

"There were designs inspired by painting, an urbany, punky style, a military collection, lovely Fifties-inspired clothing and a collection based on fairytale characters.

"When they start the course they are looking to the high street, but by the end they are looking out of the box more and get to chose whatever they want to for the finals."

In the end, it was Lucy Harman's frothy and feminine dresses, Liz Breare's clothes-as-art pieces, and Emma McKeown's retro punky frocks that were selected for our styling.

Prom perfect

Hundreds of satin and organza flowers were sewn onto her pretty, pastel dresses by Lucy Harman and her mum.

"We were hand-sewing flowers from 6pm until one in the morning for five nights. There were hundreds!" says Lucy (19) of Brighton, who is going on to take a fashion design degree in Kent.

"My collection is called Scent of Spring and the idea for it came from flowers. The dresses are pretty, feminine and elegant which comes as quite a relief with some of the fashion around."

Rose pink, soft aqua and lemon were the colours Lucy, who opts for glamorous, elegant clothes for her own wardrobe, chose for her designs.

"The course has really helped me develop my drawing and design skills," she says.

Oriental influence

Awow-factor dress by designer John Galliano, made out of origami and based on the form of a crane, turned Liz Breare onto looking to the East.

The 18-year-old of Fishbourne then designed beautiful, delicate dresses inspired by oriental art and landscape for her Bizarrt collection. She handpainted all the silk petals that adorn her outfits, and the reds and pinks of these look lovely when set against the neutral base taffeta.

"I basically wanted to create wearables based on art," says Liz, whose ambition is to make it as a designer of commercial and more original pieces after she completes a degree in fashion design for industry at Edinburgh University.

"I wanted people to look at my work as an art form, to shock them and make them think about what they were looking at."

Seventies style

Looking back to the punk era of the 1970s gave Emma McKeown lots of ideas for her tartan frocks.

These thigh-skimming, black and white retro-style dresses, with more than a touch of the contemporary with their strapless style and bubble dress designs, make up Emma's Pretty in Punk collection.

This was influenced by the likes of punk pioneer Vivienne Westwood, but Emma (20), of Worthing, who is to take a fashion promotion degree at the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, also admires Katharine Hamnett for doing her own thing and being at the forefront of eco-style.

Her dresses are made of organza-style fabric with cotton tartan underskirts, and these were set off by black and white Converse trainers. As for her own style, she is happiest mixing it up.

"I like a bit of everything. Sometimes I like dressing up but I also like going into retro shops," she says. "I like to combine things from the high street with bits from finds in second hand shops."

Under the influence

Our young designers have found their own look, but each has been influenced to a certain extent by famous designers.

- Vivienne Westwood: When she was putting her Pretty in Punk collection together, Emma McKeown looked to this iconic designer, who has been at the centre of British fashion for threedecades, for inspiration. She is most famous for her punk designs of the late 1970s, utilising clothing as 'personal propaganda'.

- Katharine Hamnett: Emma was also inspired by Katharine Hamnett who achieved huge success in the Eighties with her protest slogan T-shirts, making them a fashion, social and political staple. She wore one when she met the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at 10 Downing Street.

- Kenzo: Japanese fashion designer Kenzo, whose worldwide brand has included perfume and cosmetics as well as fashion, got Liz Breare's imagination going for her Eastern-inspired Bizaart collection. Zenzo's shows were a real spectacle, and at the end of one, held in a circus tent, he took his bow on the back of an elephant.

- John Galliano: Liz also looked to John Galliano, one of the most influential designers of our time. His collections always caused a stir and he became chief designer of France's haute couture flagship, Christian Dior, in Paris.

- Marchesa: With its feminine and delicate designs, inspired by vintage and Asia, Marchesa has become a favourite with celebrities during this decade, and inspired Lucy Harman's pretty dresses.



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