Grace Weller, a Fashion Design graduate from Bath Spa University has scooped both Womenswear and Gold awards at a London showcase.
Fashion Design graduate Grace Weller was named the winner of the Graduate Fashion Week 2014 Womenswear Award and the overall George Gold Award, the highest honour and most prestigious of the Awards.
Previous winners of this Award include Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Julian Macdonald and Matthew Williamson.
Competitors came from far and wide with over 1,000 fashion designers of the future, from 42 universities, in 21 catwalks shows competing for the coveted Awards. Grace wowed the judges with her designs which featured deep blue sheer materials embroidered with dark orange flowers.
She was presented with the Womenswear Award and £5,000 prize money by London-based hat designer Philip Treacy, and the George Gold Award and £10,000 prize money by brand director for George at Asda, Fiona Lambert and Sara Mower from the British Fashion Council.
Commenting on winning both Awards, Grace said: “I’m overwhelmed and so happy. I’m completely pinching myself. I’ve always wanted to be a designer so I can’t believe I’ve won two awards today.”
Grace’s achievement is evidence of the continued success of the BA (Hons) Fashion Design course at Bath School of Art and Design and she follows another Bath Spa graduate, Chloe Jones who won the same Awards at Graduate Fashion Week 2012.
Course Leader of Fashion at Bath Spa University, Louise Pickles added: “There are 47 universities at Graduate Fashion Week so it is very competitive. To win is great for Grace, for the University and for the city of Bath.”
In addition to winning both Awards, Grace was joined by fellow Bath Spa graduates Keziah Newlove and Ainslie Mackie who were all selected to be included in the ‘Best of Graduate Fashion Week 2014’ show featuring 25 collections.
Grace’s winning collection as well as those from other Bath Spa University Fashion graduates will be on show at the annual Bath Spa University Fashion Show on Tuesday 17th June at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.
The show is open to the public and tickets are now on sale for two shows: reception at 3:00pm for a 3:30pm show and reception at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm show.
Tickets are £5 per person and are available online at http://artdesign.bathspa.ac.uk/news/fashion-show-2014/, by calling 01225 876373 or visiting the Bath School of Art & Design, Reception, Sion Hill, Lansdown.
