Mcarthurglen’s Exclusive Designer Collection with Royal College Of Art Alumni

Sept. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- The three recipients of the first McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Awards, in association with the Royal College of Art, will reveal their unique designs on the 7 September at an exclusive McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion pop up shop in London’s Seven Dials, Covent Garden.

The Spirit of Fashion Awards was judged in 2010 by Betty Jackson CBE, Peter Sidell (The Library/RCA visiting menswear professor) Professor Wendy Dagworthy OBE, Ike Rust and Tristan Webber (RCA senior fashion tutors) and Shaeren McKenzie - Marketing Director McArthurGlen. The winners, announced in June 2010, were briefed to reinvent a timeless classic fashion garment in their own ‘handwriting’ creating unique, commercial, designs.

As part of the award, McArthurGlen has provided the designers with 12 months PR support, access to leading industry professionals, and commercial exposure through the manufacture and sale of the Spirit of Fashion Collection which they have designed exclusively for this project.

The McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion pop up shop will debut in London’s Seven Dials, Covent Garden at 4 Monmouth Street on the 7th September where it will stay open for 12 days. The pop up shop will then move onto Matthew Miller’s home town of Manchester (30 September - 6 October), before completing its journey in Rachael Barrett’s hometown of Glasgow (14 - 20 October).



Shaeren McKenzie, Director of McArthurGlen Group, says; “Reinventing a classic is one of the most difficult challenges any designer can face. To take something iconic and attempt to completely remould it from the original is a risk, and we were keen to see how each designer would approach this brief”.

Shaeren McKenzie continues; “What we ultimately wanted was a finished project that was true to each designer’s own personal style but at the same time demonstrated true commercial potential - and that in itself is a challenge. Getting the
combination right was a real balancing act but has given the designers invaluable experience for their own labels.”

RACHAEL BARRETT - Womenswear
Rachael, the only womenswear designer to receive the McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Award, has produced a capsule collection, under the Spirit of Fashion/Rachael Barrett label.  Inspired by classic old school uniforms, Rachael’s collection, her first since graduating from the RCA in 2009, is a world away from her graduate showcase of silicone and ethereal lace pieces which have been snapped-up by international music stars. The eight piece range features key uniform-inspired items such as a tunic, blazer and pleated skirt, produced in beautifully desirable fabrics in a muted colour palette and black.  

Collection details – Eight styles 100 of each


MATTHEW MILLER - Menswear
Matthew, who through his mainline collections consistently pushes boundaries in terms of fabric compositions and manufacturing techniques, was inspired by the brief to create a blueprint for the ‘perfect’ white shirt.  Never one to accept the status quo, Matthew’s design has been created using 3D software and digital print techniques.  It is cut in pieces designed by the parameters of the system in which the 3D model was folded, resulting in an end product that reduces waste, is cost efficient and environmentally friendly.  His method could set a new benchmark for future approach to design across the industry.

Collection details – One style 200 of each




CAROLYN MASSEY – Menswear
Carolyn, whose mainline menswear collections have explored the notion of what it means to be a gentleman, also chose a classic shirt as her starting point for the project. Her unique design for a re-invented Grandad shirt is innovative in its construction, incorporating elements such as a two-way bib. The shirt, available in two reversed colourways, is further enhanced by mother-of-pearl button fastenings and intricate styling details such as a side seam gusset.

Collection details – Two styles 200 of each




- ENDS -

Media Enquires contact:
Lucy Hemelryk at Rain Communication
Email:  lucy.hemelryk@raincommunications.co.uk
Tel number: 020 7828 0118 / 07821 443 313


NOTES TO EDITORS                                                          
McArthurGlen Group  
McArthurGlen Group is Europe’s leader in designer outlet retailing. The Group, which currently has 19 Designer Outlets, introduced the concept of designer outlet retailing to Europe in 1995. The 75 million consumers visiting McArthurGlen’s Designer Outlets annually are attracted by the year-round savings of 30-70 per cent on the top names in luxury, designer and high-street fashion. The portfolio, which includes Europe’s largest designer outlet, Serravalle Designer Outlet near Milan, offers a total of 500,000 sq m of retail space. A further 100,000 sq m of new retail space will be added in 2011 and 2012. Locations for new centres include Athens (2011) and Neumünster near Hamburg (2012).
For more information, please visit www.mcarthurglengroup.com


McArthurGlen in the UK
McArthurGlen has seven Designer Outlets in the UK. As well as the UK’s largest and Europe’s first, Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet near Chester, these are Ashford Designer Outlet, Bridgend Designer Outlet (Wales’ largest designer outlet), East Midlands Designer Outlet, Livingston Designer Outlet (Scotland’s largest designer outlet), Swindon Designer Outlet and York Designer Outlet.

Royal College of Art
The world’s leading postgraduate university of art and design, the Royal College of

Art specialises in teaching and research, offering the degrees of MA, MPhil and PhD across the disciplines of fine art, applied art, design, communications and humanities. There are over 850 masters and doctoral students at present, and more than a hundred professionals interacting with them – including scholars, leading art and design practitioners, along with specialists, advisors and distinguished visitors.
www.rca.ac.uk.

McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Awards
McArthurGlen, Europe’s leading developer, owner and manager of designer outlet villages, conceived the McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Awards, in partnership with the Royal College of Art (RCA), to provide support to emerging fashion designers as they move their businesses forward. The Awards are open exclusively to alumni of the RCA Fashion School, which has fostered world-renowned luminaries including Christopher Bailey of Burberry, Erdem Moralioglu and milliner Philip Treacy.

About Seven Dials
Seven Dials, Covent Garden’s only Village, brings you seven streets of independent boutiques, heritage brands, vintage stores and indulgent beauty and grooming salons, all carefully selected for shoppers of discerning taste. The Seven Dials village is also home to food and drink from across the globe. From traditional English pubs and bustling cafés to exotic restaurants, five-star brasseries and restaurants, Seven Dials has something to cater for all. Alongside its stylish residents, Seven Dials boasts a rich and varied heritage; from Dickensian times through to the birthplace of Monty Python’s Flying Circus in Neals Yard.
Sevendials.co.uk
More info: Alex Frith or Kirsty Taylor at Threepipe PR on 0207 632 4800 / Sevendials@threepipe.co.uk.
For updated information: www.sevendials.co.uk or visit Twitter @7dialsWC2 or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/sevendials