Fashion: Students make the big breakthrough

TAKE a close look – these striking outfits and their talented young designers could be the next really big things.

They are hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Edinburgh College of Art students, award-winning designers Holly Fulton and Graeme Black, and become the talk of the fashion world.

And with their groundbreaking ideas, clever use of textiles and even a 3D fabric that swirls and shifts before your eyes, there's every chance the final-year students could be designing your next high-fashion outfit.

Their designs are among dozens that will hit the fashion runway next month at the Edinburgh College of Art Graduates' Fashion Show 2010 – a key event in the Scottish fashion calendar when the design stars of tomorrow unveil the pick of their previous year's work.

As well as the final-year fashion and textiles students, there will be mini collections from second and third-year students and the often outlandish theatrical outfits from the Performance Costume students.

Robert Gillan, associate head of the School of Design at Edinburgh College of Art, says: "This year's Fashion Show promises to be one of the best ever with a particularly strong final-year group whose hard work has resulted in an eclectic range of collections.

"We fully anticipate audiences will be impressed by the level of creativity, skill and the vision of our students."

But what can we expect from the brightest young fashion minds?

Here is a selection of some of the graduating students' high fashion designs.

The ECA Fashion Show 2010 takes place in the College's Sculpture Court between 5 and 7 May. For full details and ticket information, go to www.eca.ac.uk/fashionshow

Matilda Andersson, 25

COMING from Sweden, it's perhaps no shock that Matilda Andersson has created the college's first knitwear-only collection.

But there's more to her grey knitted dress than might at first appear.

Close up it reveals tiny stripes, soft cashmere panels and hand-stitched finishes – including an integrated hand-knit chunky pale grey scarf.

Other pieces in her collection include a luxurious mixed wool dress with a large knitted collar, wool trousers and knitted coat.

Eliza Borkowska, 27

"WEARABLE sculpture," is how Eliza Borkowska describes the structured edges of her white knee-skimming shift dress.

The result is a futuristic look, influenced by speed, motion, geometric form and silhouette which reflect her particular love of sculpture.

When her collection of subtle, pastel-coloured garments hits the runway it will complete a long journey since she arrived in Scotland from her native Poland more than five years ago, unable to speak English and with plans to earn a living as a housekeeper.

"I came because I wanted to travel and explore Scotland," says Eliza.

"I knew I wanted to study fashion, but I thought I'd probably have to do it in Poland because at that time I couldn't speak the language here."

Today she's conquered the language and created a collection focusing on texture and 3D shapes to create wearable, lightweight outfits.

Lisa Leisos, 22

LISA'S long, flowing coral column of chiffon-like fabric looks like it should be draped around an ancient Greek goddess or show-stopping on a Hollywood red carpet.

It's exactly the impact Greek-born Lisa hoped for in a collection that focuses on continual flowing lines which appear simple and unstructured but in fact are devastatingly tricky to pull off.

The dress alone, she explains, is a cleverly cut swathe of 12 metres of fabric, teased and tweaked into an elegant sheath over five laborious days.

Lisa, from High Wycombe, includes neat-fitted cashmere trousers and loose, draped tops in dazzling shades of red, pinks and orange in her collection.

Nadia Scullion, 21

FROM a distance, Nadia Scullion's cerise pink mid-length pencil skirt and the neat short-sleeved top may look fairly unremarkable.

But up close her quirky touch is clear: the skirt is dyed cow hide – complete with "hair" – and the shirt "plasticised" like a kiddies' art apron.

Her collection is based around using unusual combinations of textures and fabrics, with architectural-inspired details such as 3D cut-out side panels on the skirt and chunky resin accessories.

Isabel Wong, 21

THE jacket is the lightest of the light organza, with sculptured shoulders that make it look as if it's being pulled skywards on invisible strings.

Underneath, Isabel Wong's lightweight linen jacket has its own quirky element – lapels that glitter with gold detail which on closer inspection turn out to be computer components.

It's aimed at creating an illusion of gravity, levitation and weightlessness combined with high-tech modernity, she explains.

Isabel, from York, faced the headache of figuring out how to work with such flimsy fabrics before finally resorting to soldering the edges to avoid clumsy stitches.

Qi Zhang, 25

THE pretty pastel shades of Qi Zhang's shift dress are eye-catching enough as they curve around her model's slender frame.

But what appears to be a multi-coloured "fabric" is actually a clever patchwork of seven different kinds of textiles, from smooth silk to stiff linen and even butter-soft leather.

Each panel, says Qi, tells its own small story: the entire dress is a tribute to her mother and each colourful panel a reflection of her sunny personality.

In fact, each of her five patchwork outfits – inspired by the patchwork quilts her mother used to make – has been influenced by someone close to her, making Beijing-born Qi's a particularly personal collection.

Charlotte Helyar, 24

IT'S the latest revolution in film and television. And thanks to Charlotte, from Glasgow, we could soon all be wearing 3D too. The textiles student spent weeks creating her unique 3D fabric with eye-popping results.

Red and blue lens glasses are vital to see the striking effect of a New York skyline rising from an ankle skimming skirt or spiralling vortex circles which appear to leap from the fabric of a cape. Even without them, her quirky textiles look unique.

Charlotte hit on the idea after spotting the trend towards 3D in film last year. Perfecting the technique was, she admits, a massive challenge before she combined a mix of screen print, computer wizardry and digital printing.