Leamington student wins regional fashion design award

Sophie Gordon, 22, who recently completed a three-year Fashion BA(hons) course at Coventry University, was named the winner in the Young Designer of the Year category at the Midlands Fashion Awards (MFAs) this month.

She won the award after submitting a collection “inspired by reinventing wardrobe classics, through the use of simple designs that are modern, functional and versatile”.

Sophie said: “I am over the moon and honoured to have won the award.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know my hard work throughout my final year at Coventry University paid off.

“It’s a great platform for the advanced skills and facilities being utilised there every day, and I now have a huge confidence boost to push myself to finding my dream job within the fashion industry.”

This year the finalists were judged by a panel of industry professionals including Debra Hepburn, founder of Young British Designers and last year’s winner of the Independent Designer of the Year Award.

Jenny Eason, also a judge and the founder of the MFAs said: “The pool of talent here in the Midlands is exceptional. This is a fiercely competitive industry and it’s humbling to see how MFA is increasingly becoming a stepping stone to forward-thinking designers.”