Flying the flag of their home countries at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week

Students from the University of Northampton will be showcasing the heritage and culture of their home countries on the catwalk at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week.

Aleksandra Kukula, Elena Hristova, Venuka Wickramaarachchi and Halima Begum are four of the 15 students who were chosen to take part in the University of Northampton’s catwalk show on Tuesday 6 June. The students were selected after presenting their final year collection to a panel of judges, including luxury designer Daniel Hanson and Graduate Fashion Week show producer, Deborah Britz.

Polish-born Aleksandra, 22, took inspiration from the traditional folk culture from her home country for her collection to create more contemporary, vibrant print designs. She has used silk and quilting, plus embroidery and applique methods to her work to create a very feminine yet sophisticated look.

Similarly Elena, 21, created a collection based on her Bulgarian heritage with tailored silhouetted pieces made of heavy material such as wool, while Venuka, 30, based his pieces on the dance culture in his home country of Sri Lanka, developing the traditional customer with pleating and layering.

Halima has used the theme of family roots throughout her collection and took inspiration from her parents’ home country of Bangladesh and in particular the Liberation War in the early 1970s. She has created pieces made from cotton drill, bleached fabrics, leather and jersey to produce a more distressed, worn look on some fabrics.

Dr Julie King, Head of Fashion at the University of Northampton, commented: “Our students in the fashion, textiles and footwear subjects have become widely recognised for their skills in craftsmanship, design and manufacture – and most importantly for being ahead of the design curve.

“The University of Northampton has long established links with industry, which develops our students’ industry ready employability skills, and this coupled with live industry projects prepares them for a successful career within the sector.”

Graduate Fashion Week takes place from Sunday 4 to Wednesday 7 June at the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch and has been firmly established as the world’s leading event for fashion graduates.

The University of Northampton’s catwalk show takes place on Tuesday 6 June at 12:30pm.

Photo: Aleksandra, Elena, Venuka and Halima