Fanshawe Design Students' Talent "Unbound" at Museum London

On April 14th, the graduating students of the Fanshawe College Fashion Design program presented their collections at a Fashion Show titled, "Unbound", at Museum London.  The show offers an opportunity to present their designs to an audience of their friends and family, fellow students, and fashion industry experts, including the judges for the evening show that included Canadian designers David Dixon, Franco Mirabelli and Arthur Mendonca, Natalie Deane from ET Canada, and Erin O'Brien, the Market Editor for Flare Magazine.  This is the second "Unbound" show that I've attended, and I was again impressed with the professional presentation, and the creativity and design skills displayed on the runway.  Some common themes?  The colour orange, which is huge this year for Spring and Summer, also cream, brown, and blue;  peplums, which is not a style I am in love with, but was all over the major runway shows in Paris and New York; very fitted and detailed jackets and lots of leather, either as a primary garment fabric or as an embellishment.  The evening show featured the collections of 17 graduates, so I've split the photos into two separate posts. 

Saraa Slater's line, titled "Neoteric Opulence" featured luxe fabrics such as silk brocade, cashmere suiting and lambskin leather in beige, gray and metallic.

Nicole Flanagan's collection of outerwear, titled "Micro-Edge" incorporated bold-coloured piping and belts

The pieces in Emily Hynes collection, "Subtle Sophistication" were very feminine with classic shapes

This orange leather jacket in Caitlin Mitrovic's collection, "A Canadian Road Trip", was one of my favourite pieces in the show

 Another outfit from "A Canadian Roadtrip" - I like the idea of a leather vest over a casual blouse and shorts.  The colour of the shorts is great, and I like the unusual pockets, although they would definitely not flatter a woman with large hips and thighs.

This striking dress was part of the African culture-inspired collection of Jessica Stephens, "Revitalized Culture"

This brilliantly-coloured coat dress was part of the collection, "Soul Coalesce" by Andrea Kuntz, whose designs won two awards at the end of the evening

Another outfit from Andrea Kuntz's stellar collection

Sarah Baxter's collection, "Explore Culture", featured patterned, full-skirted summer maxi dresses with solid colour fabric overlays

Marisa Wrong's collection, "Radical Edge" featured colour-blocking and angular lines in supple leather

Colour-blocking and exposed zipper teeth were used to strong effect in Nicole Snobelen's collection, "Infectious Machine"

Neutral colours and leather embellishment were key elements of Kristin Burgess' collection, "Viral Aesthetics"

A leather jacket featuring a peplum and sleeve detailing in contrasting colour

Part two, featuring the collections of Teresa Veerkamp, Natasha Wellman, Melanie Vandenberg, Kelsey Marsh, Denise Mayer, Veronika Savina and Brittney Wood will be posted early this week.