Young Designer Wins Alfa Romeo Fashion Award
on 9/3/11
Liverpool Community College, Foundation fashion student Dominique Dean, 19, became the first ever winner of the inaugural Alfa Romeo Young Designer Award 2011 which was held in conjunction with the prestigious St Andrews Charity Fashion Show, beating stiff competition in the process. The award, presented ahead of a fashion show, included £1,000 in prize money and further funding to produce an item of clothing for the Trekstock charity - helping young people with cancer.
Winning Design by Dominque Dean
Dominique, an undergraduate at Liverpool Community College and who had created a collection of stunningly designed red dresses, was picked in a final judging session held on the day by PPQ designers Amy Molyneaux and Percy Parker, Alfa Romeo UK’s Anna Angelini, Trekstock’s Sophie Epstone and former Britain’s Next Top Model winner Alex Evans. All finalist designs featured on the catwalk for the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show on Saturday evening.
Dominique, whose family was in attendance to see her win, said: “I’m really happy! It was such a big opportunity just to be involved in the competition so to win is incredible. As well as taking inspiration from design elements of the Alfa Romeo cars, such as the exposed stitching used on the interior, and the classic lines and shapes created within the bodywork, I felt it was important that I was influenced by the brand as a whole.”
Dominque Dean Designs on Catwalk Photo by - Molly Minton
Alfa Romeo UK’s Anna Angelini, said. “It’s great to be able to support emerging talent by sponsoring the first ever Young Designer Award as part of the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show.
“The level of entries has been of an exceptional standard and with a lot of deliberation we believe we have selected a worthy winner in Dominique, who captured the spirit of Alfa Romeo, and in particular the Alfa MiTo, by designing an eye-catching collection that epitomises the brand – red, stylish, sexy and passionate.”
Dominique added that the competition had given her an extra incentive to achieve her goal of becoming a fashion designer, saying: “It’s something I feel passionate about. This competition has given me a huge boost and a belief in my ability.”
Congratulations to Dominique on her success, and its great to see a brand such as Alfa Romeo supporting new design talent within the fashion industry. The Trend Boutique always understands the influence fashion has across other sectors and also the importance of taking inspiration from other industries whether that be fashion, interiors, architecture or product and this is a fantastic example of the cross-fertilisation of ideas.
