Anthony’s fashionable move pays off
By Kelly Higgins
First year fashion student Anthony Hannon came second in the Young Designer of the Year competition for his outstanding displays of fashion on the catwalk at 2010 Clothes Show Live.
The NEC between Coventry and Birmingham hosted the chance of a lifetime for ten fashion undergraduates to start their journey through an intensely competitive industry.
Seven out of ten finalists were undergraduates of Coventry University’s impressive fashion department, including Bernadette Dunn, Sarah Lowe and Jade Hughes. Featured amongst stars such as Gok Wan, the students were truly honoured to be participants in one of the most publicised fashion competitions of the year.
Anthony astonished the judges and the public with his extraordinary garment that was inspired by the Vatican.
He said: “I chose the Vatican because the religion, the buildings, decorations and politics surrounding this country were truly fascinating. It may seem a strange choice, but I thought that it would give me a little edge in comparison to my fellow competitors.”
Two years prior to his fashion enrolment, Anthony was an advertising and media undergraduate, struggling with his course and uncomfortable with his choice of career, so he chose to aim towards a completely different lifelong goal of his.
“I have always felt a little bit out of step with advertising; fashion has always grabbed my interest but I didn’t think realistically I would be good enough to complete a degree in it as I have had no previous experience in the industry. As soon as I saw my finished garment being modelled on the catwalk I knew instantly that changing my course was the best decision I have ever made,” he said.
Regardless of the outcome of the work submitted into the competition, this kind of experience is priceless to the participants and their contribution to such a wide spread contest demonstrates the evident talent that Coventry University is producing.
