Staff and students from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture were well represented in the shortlist for the annual Enterprise Awards at Kingston University on 9th May.

Prof.Catherine McDermott

The winner of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2012 was Professor Catherine McDermott. Her recent work with Dream Lab’, the ‘Bauhaus Project’, The Impact Of Refugees On British Design’ and the Creative London short course in September were all recognised but most of all she was rewarded for the creation of the ‘Kingston Africa’ project.

The current Zimbabwe project has been selected for the British Council’s Olympiad Festival Showcase 2012.

The Zimbabwe project showcases a unique partnership combining Kingston’s expertise in design and marketing with traditional Zimbabwean making skills. Working with the Schools of Business and Design at Kingston University the project highlights African creativity, not African need as is a new innovative approach to collaborative and shared practice. The vision is to include African creativity within our curriculum at Kingston to increase the skills and employability of our emerging designers and to support the economic growth of our partner.

The exhibition showcases the work by the students and staff at the Design School Kingston and basket makers in Zimbabwe. It is intended to raise the profile of Zimbabwean makers to the international design community and connect new markets to a new production chain. The project is led by UK design curator Professor Catherine McDermott, Simon Maidment Head of Design and Maria Haralambidou, Business School with one of the UK’s most innovative designers Carl Clerkin. To a brief set by Lupane Womens Centre in Matebeland, Carl Clerkin and Simon Maidment, Head of Design Kingston University are leading a project developing new approaches to making.

Shortlisted staff and students;

Elinor Renfrew, Staff Enterprise Champion,

Ninela Ivanova, Student Enterprise Champion

Clea Jentsch, Most Enterprising Student

Fiona Quinn, Entrepreneur of the Year

Students from MA Design for Development, Mayors Prize

Dr Bernadette Blair has been invited to be the speaker at Ontario College of Art & Design’s annual ‘Big Talk’ on 16th May. Bernadette will share her research findings on the studio crit and students understand of feedback with the staff, students and guests at the college in Toronto, Canada. Afterwards she will take part in an interactive forum with students and alumni discussing OCAD’s Studio Education Resource Development Project.

Not content with working 24/7 on her final collection, fashion student Vic Riches, has been busy moonlighting for Conde Nast (publishers of Vogue).

‘Brides’ is the UK’s No.1 selling bridal magazine and have just featured Vic’s free spirited illustrations and plugged her unique ‘wedding illustration service’.

The upshot, further commisioned work, prestige and a growing reputation as a talented illustrator, fashion or otherwise.

http://vicriches.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/conde-nast-brides-first-feature.html

A big thank you to Dr Noki for leading the BA FASHION 1st years on their groundbreaking and innovative exploration of ‘Fashion’ monsters, AKA ‘The Fashion Freaks’. We’re very proud of their exploits taking London Fashion Week by storm and showcasing a dazzling display of creativity and hard work.

Noki has been reinventing the sustainable for well over a decade now and is one of the major contributors to the Estethica showcase at London fashion week. An artist, maverick and social commentator, Noki has something very significant in fashion to say and his work with our first years is testament to his determination to be heard.

‘I like to teach students how to balance the need for change through fashion textiles, but keeping the emphasis purely on creative design. I feel this is paramount at such a young age,’ he said.

We’re looking forward to his return and LFW was definitely a brighter, if not scarier, place for the Fashion Freaks inclusion.

Second Year BA Illustration & Animation students and Graphic Design students have  just worked on a collaborative project to raise awareness and raise funds for Amnesty International . The one week project culminated with groups  raising money throughout venues in London .

Amnesty representative Ash described the event as ‘enlightened’ and ‘brilliant’ praising the students work as ‘ highly creative and imaginative ‘, their campaigns being ‘at least as good as any professionals’ he knew.

‘Ideas were irreverent , powerful and engaging’

, raising over £2000 in just one day. Take a look and see.

Two of the three finalists and one Highly Commended  in the animation category of the international Adobe Design Achievement Awards 2011 are Kingston graduates.

Sean Weston and James Lancett who made their film ‘Overcast’ this year whilst BA Illustration and Animation students were selected as finalists in the animation category.

Jonathan Ballalo, who also graduated this year, received a highly commended for his film.

Julia Pott, who has just finished at the Royal College of Art having graduated from Kingston BA Illustration and Animationin in 2008, was also selected as a finalist in the top three.

2 (BA) Product and Furniture Design graduates and 1 (BSC) Product Design graduate were featured in last month’s ‘Icon’ magazine graduate issue. Each year the renowned design and architecture publication lists 15 of the most promising young designers from up and down the country. This year only 4 listed were under graduate, Kingston taking 3 of those slots! The rest making up the 15 came from MA courses including the Royal College of Art.  Very proud to  see our students work being compared at this level.

Congratulations Ben Fursdon, Oscar Medley Whitfield and Hannah Niskanen Benady.

Congratulations to Vic Riches, a level 6 Fashion student and very talented illustrator, she’s just managed to win a competition set by the long standing and cult design brand, Ally Capellino.

The competition was open to ‘the world’ and encouraged a participating public to execute a design for their ’in-store’ tote bags.

You’ve got to be in it to win it I guess!

The Winning Design

Dr. Bernadette Blair was invited to attend, as a keynote speaker, the International Design Education Forum of South Africa (DEFSA) conference in Johannesburg this month.  The conference was held in the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture of the University of Johannesburg (UJ).  This was the 6th DEFSA conference and was entitled ‘20/20 Design Vision’ celebrating the 20th year of this organization.  The conference was attended by delegates from many African countries and also other international institutions.
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Kingston 2nd year Fashion students Laura Smallwood and Sophie Wetherell were the winners of this years Brooks Brothers competition. It’s a fantastic opportunity for our students to work on a ‘Live’ industry based project with invaluable feedback. As winners, their work took pride of place during London Fashion Week in the Brooks Brothers Flagship store window on Regent Street. The garments will then be shipped off to be displayed in the Milan, Tokyo and New York stores.

The students were then flown off for a fully paid, 2 month internship in New York during New York Fashion Week. Brooks Brothers will also sponsor their final year collections.

The project was launched in 2006 and students who interned at Brooks Brothers have gone on to work as successful designers at Burberry Prorsum, Jaeger, Bally, Jack Wills, Reiss and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Laura Smallwood and Sophie Wetherall's winning designs at Brooks Brothers Flagship Store, Regent Street