Meet the new Scottish talent with designs on shaping the contents of your wardrobe – and the international fashion agenda

Published on Friday 18 September 2009 16:19

Fashion design is a notoriously tough business, and yet if there is one country influencing the industry at the moment it's Scotland. Our designers are stocked in the world's most important shops, splashed across the glossiest magazines and adored by the high street.

There has rarely been greater excitement and support for emerging talent across the nation's creative and educational institutions – and with the Scottish Style Awards back for a fourth year in October – the fashion spotlight is set to remain firmly north of the border.

Celebrated Scottish stars of the fashion world such as Jonathan Saunders, who launches his new range at London Fashion Week on Tuesday, have been joined by newer talent in recent years. Christopher Kane, who won the admiration of the fashion world with his early collections and has gone on to create an affordable line for Topshop, launched his latest high-street range on Friday.

Hot on their heels, however, is a new generation of Scottish fashion designers, set to dominate the industry in the future. Here we profile this year's nominees for the New Talent Scottish Style Award 2009, the winners of which will be announced at a glittering ceremony on 31 October.

For more information, log on to www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk. Scotland on Sunday is proud to be media partner of the Scottish Style Awards

NATALIE MORRIS

Moody and inspired by dark silent films, jazz and the art deco styles of the 1920s, the designs by Edinburgh College of Art graduate Natalie Morris have abstract silhouettes – achieved through exquisite pattern-cutting and fabric-manipulation. The end result of her all-black, Swarovski crystal-encrusted collection is wholly contemporary with a seductive hint of the femme fatale.

www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk

ZOE DONALD

Exploring colour and simple juxtapositions, Royal College of Art graduate Zoe Donald's sharp collection marries classic tailoring with progressive stretch fabrics. She also applies new embellishment techniques influenced by industrial structural forms to present a striking and confident aesthetic.

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MAIRI DRYDEN

Drawing inspiration from the Scottish landscape, Edinburgh College of Art graduate Mairi Dryden has named her collection 'the Brackens'. It evokes the stark beauty of the Angus countryside where she developed her design concepts. Dryden's signature abstract patterns and prints and unique hand-painting techniques accented with jewellery appliqu are both striking and commercially appealing.

www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk

JACQUELINE KENNEDY

The combination of opaque lambswool and sheer viscose underpins Jacqueline Kennedy's collection of luxurious knitwear. A Glasgow School of Art graduate, Kennedy draws inspiration from the beauty and drama of exotic plants – the forms of which are referenced in her bold geometric shapes and the structural qualities of her glamorous shoulder pads. The pieces are feminine, wearable and beautifully harmonised.

www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk

JEN GROUNDWATER

With an attraction to the strangely beautiful and a long-held fascination with lace, Glasgow School of Art graduate Jen Groundwater's 'Laid

Belle' story is one of spectacular embroidered headpieces and body embellishments. Strikingly made using a laser cutting technique, and inspired by the Eiffel Tower, her collection has an unconventional prettiness.

www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk

RACHAEL BARRETT

Inspired by the haunting photography found in Corinne Day's Diary and Julia Margaret Cameron's A Victorian Family Portrait, Royal College of Art graduate Rachael Barrett's collection explores the female form and the trapped space between body and dress. Silicone rubber forms garments that both rigidly follow and dramatically stray from the wearer's silhouette, alongside oversized ethereal pieces in chiffon, lace and sheer jersey. The resulting layers of transparency expose this 'negative space'.

www.rachaelbarrett.tumblr.com

KEIRA THORLEY

Citing influences such as Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page, Edinburgh College of Art graduate Keira Thorley's beautifully constructed tailoring, accented by statement leather and suede pieces, is designed with a simple ethos – to make wearers feel great. Based in her Edinburgh studio, Thorley also studied at the prestigious Central St Martins in London, where she shared a class with design superstar – and previous Scottish Style Awards winner – Christopher Kane.

www.keira.uk.com

FRANCESCA CHIORANDO

With a collision of simplicity and vibrancy of colour, Glasgow School of Art graduate Francesca Chiorando's collection is a modern take on romanticism. Fresh, zesty tones and trompe l'oeil prints on soft silk jersey celebrate the female form. Chiorando specialises in colour and digital print, as well as couture garments inspired by 1930s art deco style. Much of the inspiration for her prints comes from time spent in the south of France.

www.chiorando.com

JOE McGEE

By looking at the nude figure in suspended movement, Edinburgh College of Art graduate Joseph McGee explores the relationship between body and cloth, garment and wearer. One does not dominate the other, but rather they form a union. His use of anatomical structures laid underneath fabrics reflects this, creating garments both sculpted and draped, hard and soft – like the body itself.

www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk