The team from Enterprise South Liverpool Academy were crowned the winners at The Style Factory’s youth fashion showcase at the Hilton Hotel in Liverpool.
The programme, supported by the Prince’s Trust, held a fashion showcase hosted by Radio DJ Rick Vaughn, to give local 13 to 18-year-olds the chance to show their collection of clothes that they have been designing and making for the last six months.
Runcorn Fashion Club, St. Peter and Paul’s Catholic High in Widnes, Enterprise South Liverpool Academy and Deyes High School in Maghull all took part and battled it out on the catwalk against some of the region’s top fashion labels.
Samantha Chong was joined in the judge’s panel by Della Nelson, head of womenswear design at Shop Direct Group, and Nicola Cupples, one of the UK’s leading style experts. Awards were given to the young people recognised for their hard work and dedication to fashion and design.
Caz Moss, fashion journalist and the event organiser, told JMU Journalism: “We wanted to show everyone what young people can achieve. I hope everyone can see what The Style Factory is doing for teenagers in the North West.”
The 27 year-old entrepreneur said: “The Style Factory allows teenagers to try out a career they might not have thought about before. Aspects such as marketing, journalism and merchandising are all included in the vocational course, as well as the traditional design and garment making.”
Stars from Desperate Scousewives, Jaiden Michael and Elissa Corrigan, made an appearance and an intimate performance by X Factor finalist James Michael made for a great night, which was sponsored by Littlewoods.com.
Nicola Cupples, founder of mystylecompanion.com, said: “Myself and the other judges could all see the hard work, talent and creativity that had gone into your collections and it really was such a tough decision to choose a winner. I find it so amazing that the kids achieved what they did on the night; some of the pieces were just fantastic.”