Hundreds of people will visit De Montfort University Leicester’s Degree show, as students showcase their creativity in one of the city’s largest free exhibitions.
Among the visitors will be industry professionals from some of the world’s biggest brands – including ASOS, Sainsbury’s and Next – hoping to scout the next generation of talent.
Final-year art and design students have worked with their tutors to put together a show-stopping exhibition of their finest work, celebrating the culmination of years of hard study at DMU.
Taking place across DMU’s Vijay Patel Building from Friday 10 to Friday, 17 June, the Degree Show will include award-winning work such as Sam Lilley’s footwear design, which won two prestigious prizes at Fashanne, and creations that earned three fashion and textile students a total of £6,000 from The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters.
Design craft student Helena Roberts will be showcasing a spectacular collection of ceramic knee-high 1970s platform boots in honour of her grandma (pictured below).
The 21-year-old from Surrey said: “I lost two grandparents during the pandemic and did one big project in their memory, which really helped me with grieving. I now have just one grandparent left and I want to make the most of her by celebrating her while she’s still here.
“My 90-year-old grandma loves Mama Mia and her favourite ABBA song is Dancing Queen, so I chose to represent her through these ceramic boots. I hope that by making them I can bring her a lot of joy.”
To create her boots, Helena made a mould from a beloved vinyl pair she owns. Each one has a different design, all inspired by her grandma’s favourite things – such as hydrangeas, dunnocks and ABBA song lyrics – with some even incorporating hand drawings by her grandma.
Photography and Video student Hannah Clark is displaying six photos taken on her Canon EOS 5D Mark IV using a 24-105mm lens. Inspired by the Hollywood Glamour era, they depict a model replicating studio poses in a modern-day kitchen.
“I shot the studio ones against a red backdrop to suggest that she’s dangerous to love, in a femme fatale sort of way”, explained the 20-year-old, who comes from Norfolk.
“I then re-shot the same poses in a kitchen, placing my model there not for the chores, but to be powerful.
“I’ve always wanted to do a fashion shoot and coming up with a way to subvert it was really rewarding. I’m excited to display my work at the Degree Show – hopefully it will lead to more people seeing it and contacting me about potential jobs”, she added.
Follow @dmudegreeshow on Instagram for the latest updates and to hear directly from students showcasing their work.
