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Three graduates from Â鶹´«Ã½ Leicester (Â鶹´«Ã½) have made waves in the Midlands fashion scene, winning major awards at the 2023 competition.

Founded in 2016 by journalist and TV presenter Anne Davies, the awards support emerging talent in the fashion industry from universities across the Midlands.

Sofia Fabbricatore, Jihwi Ahn and Francisca Santos – final-year Â鶹´«Ã½ students at the time of the competition - impressed the judges with their innovative designs, winning each of them an award at the prestigious event.

An art-inspired shoe design secured Footwear Design graduate Jihwi Ahn the Footwear and Accessory Design Award.

Jihwi's footwear design on the catwalk

“The inspiration for my design was mobile art, in particular the sculptures of Alexander Calder. I challenged myself to have a floating silhouette in my design, which was the biggest challenge considering shoes have to be grounded for walking,” said the 24-year-old from South Korea.

“I had to come up with an idea of how to present my work with the model and their outfit that would work on a runway. Giving the shoe some movement as the model walked gave the viewer a truer impression of the shoe and really showed all the elements of my design.”

Fashion Design graduate Sofia Fabbricatore impressed on the catwalk with her outfit design, winning the Commercial Design Award, while Francisa Santos won the Athleisure Design Award.

Sofia's winning design

“My design was part of a new brand that I created myself. The idea was to create fashion that’s as wearable as possible and that also allows people to follow trends within a budget. Wearability was really the inspiration for my brand idea and I wanted to push that to the fullest,” said Sofia, a 22-year-old Leicester local.

“Sustainability is really important to me, but it needs to be followed in a less cliché way. Brands can always do more, like utilising sustainable practices, not just fabrics. There are many areas in businesses where you can be sustainable.

“Garments also need to be designed with wearability in mind so they can have a long life and be re-worn throughout the seasons, not just once.”

For both Jihwi and Sofia, their wins were a welcome boost to their confidence and a meaningful acknowledgement of three years of hard work.

Sofia said: “I was over the moon when I found out I’d won. The accreditation felt amazing more than anything else. I’d had three bucket list things for my final year; to get a first in each final year module, to win an external award, and to win a competition with the uni. This win means I’ve managed to do them all. It’s great to know all my hard work has paid off.”

“Winning this award has given me so much confidence in my work and ideas. Even the chance to attend the event itself was so beneficial with the interaction it allowed between industry figures and students. The whole process was really encouraging and is definitely something I will look back on in the future,” said Jihwi.

With their university journeys now at an end, the award-winning graduates are venturing into their chosen industries to explore the professional world for themselves.