Oxfor Fashion Week Exhibition in Cherwell Boathouse

Boathouse show brings Oxford Fashion Week to a close
2:52pm Friday 7th May 2010 Oxford Mail


By Chris Walker »

FASHION lovers were treated to a series of catwalk shows on the banks of the River Thames as the curtain came down on the city’s second fashion week.

A punt storage shed at the Cherwell Boathouse was the venue for five up-and-coming designers from the London College of Fashion to show their latest collections.
High fashion met high art as the boathouse was transformed into an art exhibition showing the sketches that led to their designs as well as the work of promising fashion photographers.
Colourful and funky photos of models posed around Wolvercote and on the River Thames in Oxford formed the main backdrop of the temporary gallery.
The quirky shots were taken by Claire Huish, from Shenington near Banbury, who was The Clothes Show’s young fashion photographer of the year in 2009.

The 19-year-old, who was born in Oxford and grew up in Cowley, said: “Although I haven’t lived in Oxford for some time, it’s still very much home for me and it was the first place I thought of to take the pictures.

“It was nerve-wracking to see how people reacted to them but it seemed like they got a good response.”

About 150 people applauded the runway shows displaying the work of designers Nora Deak, Nora Reese, Kata Nagy, Sarah-Elizabeth Cooper and Elle Lamb.
Miss Nagy, 25, said her colourful print designs were intended to offer a different slant on the historic Hungarian embroidery that inspired them.

The Hungarian student, now based in London, said: “Oxford Fashion Week has been a great opportunity for designers to show off their work and get publicity.
“The shows have been full of nice guests in beautiful locations.”

Fellow designer Elle Lamb said: “This was a very successful event and a great way for young designers to get their name and their pieces out there.”
Organiser Carl Anglim said he was thrilled by the response to this year’s fashion week which saw the number of runway shows grow from four to 11. He said: “We wanted to take Oxford Fashion Week to another level and we have done that.

“The turnout has been stronger and the quality of the designers was on another level but it was also great to see designers from last year returning.
“The week has been fantastic.
“So many people have turned up to the events and had a great time which shows there are people that really want this to happen.”

Article by Chris Walker for Oxford Mail
Image by Greg Blachford