New opportunity for Young Accessory Designers

The Fashion and Textile Museum are still looking for young accessory designers for the new competition ‘Young Accessory Designer of the Year’ that they have launched in partnership with Clothes Show London, at

Earls Court

25-27 June 2010.

Continuing Clothes Show London’s commitment to nurturing and developing young talent in the creative arts, they are organising a competition to find the Young Accessory Designer of the Year in partnership with The Fashion and Textile Museum (FTM). The competition is open to aspiring designers who have been trading for fewer than three years, providing a platform for young designers and their businesses in this highly competitive industry.

The prestigious new award in partnership with the FTM, challenges designers to create an accessory product that encompasses the FTM’s brand values and is suitable for sale in the FTM’s shop (Shop@FTM) and the FTM’s online boutique. The winner will also receive the once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive six months business support with industry advisors to help set up and develop their business and make it sustainable. Their winning design will be displayed at Clothes Show London and may go on to be launched and sold in the Shop@FTM. In addition, the victor will be invited to the Private View of the forthcoming Horrockses Fashions: Off the Peg style of the 40’s and 50’s exhibition and will be offered a place on FTM’s professional CAD short course.

All entries will be judged by FTM’s Commercial Director, Alison Lewy and Managing Director of Clothes Show London, Gavin Brown. The winner will be announced at an impressive awards ceremony in Clothes Show London’s spectacular Fashion Theatre at London’s

Earls Court

on Saturday 26th June.

Alison Lewy, FTM’s Commercial Director, welcomes this opportunity to support aspiring design talent in this way: “FTM is thrilled to be working in partnership with Clothes Show London to launch this new competition which reflects the ethos of the museum to support young design talent. The winner will have a unique opportunity to receive a package of high-level, professional industry led support from the FTM to ensure the on-going development of their business, as well as exposure for their brand.”

Gavin Brown, Managing Director of Clothes Show London, explains the thinking behind this new exciting award: “Clothes Show London intends to develop a variety of initiatives to help develop new talent. The launch of Young Accessory Designer of The Year in association with the Fashion and Textile Museum is the latest in our schedule of planned activity and will be followed by other projects to encourage creativity.”

Young Accessory Designer of the Year in partnership with The Fashion and Textile Museum

The Prize

The winner will have the opportunity to receive the following:

• To showcase their product at Clothes Show London

• To launch and sell the winning product in the Shop@FTM

• Six months business support with industry advisors to help grow their business and make it sustainable

• To attend a professional CAD short course

• Invitation to the Private View of the forthcoming Horrockses Fashion exhibition

Timings

Deadline for Entries

·         15^th April 2010

Three Finalists Notified

• 30th April 2010

Winner announcement at Clothes Show London

• 26th June 2010

Entrants

• Open to designers who have been trading for fewer than three years in the UK

• To enter the award, entrants must visit www.clothesshowlondon.com to download an application form 

30 Years of Pineapple at the Fashion and Textile Museum

New exhibition open at the Fashion and Textile Museum

‘30 Years of Pineapple by Debbie Moore’

1979-2009

The Fashion and Textile Museum are pleased to announce the opening of ‘30 Years of Pineapple by Debbie Moore’, a retrospective exhibition that runs until 24^th February 2010.

‘30 Years of Pineapple’ celebrates the success of the brand and its influence on fashion over the last thirty years.  The exhibition features key looks created by Debbie Moore for the Pineapple label include the Body, the legging, cotton lycra dresses and the Boyfriend sweatshirt. 

The ‘30 Years of Pineapple’ exhibition is free and is hosted by the Fashion and Textile Museum, until 24^th February 2010. Exhibition opening times are Wednesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm with last admission at 5.15pm.
 
A number of workshops and activities will accompany the exhibition. For further information about these please visit www.ftmlondon.org.

Editors Notes

Debbie Moore, a famous model of the 60s, founded Pineapple Dance Studios in 1979 in London’s Covent Garden.   Recognising a need for an accessible, affordable dance space, Moore soon found herself with a highly successful business.  Moore also noticed another gap in the market.  Dancewear available at the time was Nylon Lycra and shiny performance wear.  The dancers themselves were looking for something more comfortable and fluid; customised tights from school uniforms were a common sight.  With this in mind, Moore approached DuPont in 1979 to develop a fabric that would change the way people dressed: cotton Lycra.

Pineapple’s dancewear in the newly developed fabric was an instant hit.  The range quickly expanded as Moore continued to innovate in the collection.  Her fresh approach and intuitive sense of what women wanted to wear led Pineapple from strength to strength.  A New York branch of the Studios opened in 1982, further increasing the influence of the Pineapple aesthetic.

Among the looks created by Debbie Moore for the Pineapple label include the Body (pre-Donna Karan), the legging and the Boyfriend sweatshirt.  She also designed the first range of cotton Lycra dresses; simple fitted shapes in a fitted, easy-to-wear fabric that were unlike anything available to consumers at the time.  The result was electric, influencing the fashion industry across the board.  All of these designs have helped define the styles of their respective decades.

Pineapple has continued to expand and is now recognised for its influence on fashion of the last thirty years.  Debbie Moore’s career has been long and successful, inspiring many women in business along the way.  She re-created the original Pineapple styles with on-line retail phenomenon ASOS, introducing a new generation to this innovative, and historically definitive, company.

Knitting Needles at the Ready - The Woolpack Returns for 2010

Returning for 2010, six week knitting courses at beginner and intermediate levels

Our popular knitting club returns for the new year, this year with separate courses for beginners and more advanced knitters.

Beginners course - Tuesday evenings from 19th January

This new club at the FTM is aimed at those who have little or no knitting experience but who have always wanted to learn the lovely art of knitting. Taught in a relaxed environment you will learn the basic techniques and stitches required to knit. Once you have mastered the basics you will put them into practice on a class project which will mean you have a finished article at the end of the course.

Intermediate course - Wednesday evenings from 20th January

This course is ideal for those who have mastered basic knitting techniques and want to take their skills to the next level. Over the course of six weeks you will learn how to read and interpret basic commercial patterns through to creating your own simple designs, in a friendly and informal environment.

Info / bookings

Both courses take place one evening a week for six weeks from 6.30 - 9pm. Needles and yarns are supplied for use in the first class. Participants will need to acquire their own needles and yarns for the following classes and projects.

Cost: £110 per course.

For further information and bookings phone 020 7407 8664 or email info@ftmlondon.org

The Fashion and Textile Museum,

83 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF

Contact the museum on 020 7407 8664

For further info and queries, visit us on the web at www.ftmlondon.org or email info@ftmlondon.org