On Saturday, April 6, students from George Brown College’s (GBC’s) School of Fashion and Jewellery participated in the Dressed to Kilt fashion show at Toronto’s Liberty Grand. Four GBC students were finalists in the runway event, and showcased their creations made from Strathmore Woollen Company tartan fabric. Five students also produced a scarf-coat for the show.
“In creating my designs for this event, I really enjoyed learning about the use of tartan with Scottish clans and I hope to use this fabric often in my future work,” said student participant Claire Francom from the Fashion Techniques and Design program. “It was such a great opportunity to work with such beautiful and high-quality tartan fabric from Strathmore Woollen Company in Scotland to develop my design.”
Dressed to Kilt is an annual tartan fashion show that was co-founded in 2003 by Sir Sean Connery and Dr. Geoffrey Scott Carroll. This is the first year the high-profile event has come to Canada, and the first time students have been invited to participate in the show.
Cleo Williams, who worked with four other Fashion Techniques and Design students on a custom tartan scarf-coat, said she enjoyed the opportunity to make a cutting-edge garment from a world-renowned fabric:
“Being able to make something from wool and tartan and learn about the importance of these fabrics in Scottish heritage was interesting and a wonderful opportunity,” Williams said.
These student designs were made possible by the generous donation of $4,000-worth of tartan fabric from Strathmore Woollen Company — one of Scotland's premier manufacturers of tartan fabric.
“We’re so proud of our students,” said Rosa Fracassa, Associate Dean, School of Fashion and Jewellery/Fashion Exchange. “They’ve been working for months under the guidance of their professor and program coordinator, Cynthia Givens-Sanford, and with the support of many of our fashion faculty. Saturday's event really showcased our students’ abilities and challenged them to produce cutting-edge designs with traditional tartan textiles. It's wonderful to be able to create partnerships that give our students high-profile opportunities to meet industry representatives and create networking opportunities for future employment.”
Congrats to all our featured student-designers; you’re kilt’n it on the runway!
