Mcarthurglen’s Exclusive Designer Collection With Royal College Of Art Alumni Matthew Miller

Sept. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Matthew Miller, one of three recipients of the McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Awards, in association with the Royal College of Art, will reveal his unique work on the 29th September at an exclusive pop up shop in Spinningfields, Manchester.

Celebrating great design with local talent, McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet is the UK’s first and largest designer shopping destinations. With over 140 stores, the centre is home to internationally renowned brands such as Armani, Reiss and Nicole Farhi.

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 for McArthurGlen). The three winners, Matthew Miller, Carolyn Massey and Rachel Barrett, announced in June 2010, were briefed to reinvent a timeless classic fashion garment in their own ‘handwriting’ to create 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.  

Miller, who trained at Manchester Metropolitan University and graduated with an MA in menswear from the Royal College of Art in 2009, has re-invented the classic white shirt using innovative 3D softwear and digital print techniques.
 


Miller says; “I started my fashion career in Manchester, so it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to showcase my collection in the north-west. Winning the McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion Awards was a huge privilege and the support I have received has been invaluable.”

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 redesign it from the original is a risk, and we were keen to see how each designer would approach this brief”.

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. The pop-up store in Manchester’s Spinningfields is a great opportunity for Matthew to showcase his collection in the city where his fashion training began.”

Shoppers who visit the McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion pop up store will be given the opportunity to win a £1,000 shopping spree in the Cheshire Oaks designer outlet. To win shoppers must leave their details at the till point.

The Manchester McArthurGlen Spirit of Fashion pop up shop will be in Unit G27, 1 Spinningfields Square, Spinningfields M3 3AP, where it will stay open for 7 days, before moving to Rachel Barrett’s hometown of Glasgow on the (14  - 20 October).


More about the winners:  
 
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


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



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 -

For more information on McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet, please visit: www.cheshireoaksdesigneroutlet.com or call: 0151 348 5600.
You can follow McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/cheshireoaks
 

Media Enquires contact:
Fiona Campbell or Kate Hassard at Rain Communication
Email:  firstname.surname@raincommunications.co.uk
Tel number: 020 7828 0118 / 07950 105 317


NOTES TO EDITORS    
                                                   
McArthurGlen Group  
McArthurGlen Group is Europe’s leader in designer outlet retailing. The Group, which currently has 20 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.
For more information, please visit www.mcarthurglengroup.com


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.