Sarah wows the judges with her designs

A YOUNG Clare fashion design student this week scooped a prestigious award for her final-year collection.
Sarah Melody from Clonmoney, Bunratty, was honoured with the coveted AIB Graduate Business Development Award for best overall collection at the Limerick School of Art and Design Graduate Fashion Show last Thursday.

Sarah was one of 31 students competing for the accolade, which she describes as “very encouraging and a wonderful opportunity”.
“I know that all those sleepless nights spent working on this collection were well worth it. It will certainly be a leg up in my career and great to have on my CV, especially during these recessionary times in a competitive business,” she outlines.
Sarah’s collection was inspired by Japanese print artist Takato Yamamoto who uses youthful innocence and florid arrangements contrasting with savage imagery in his graphic depictions.
“The compositions and colour story of his prints have influenced the development of my collection’s silhouette and colour story from the first to last outfit. The silhouette begins flowing, sinuous and dripping utilising drapery. It ends in a full, floaty dress of shredded organza and pom-poms,” she explains.
“The collection starts in navy and black, becomes lighter and adds a touch of pink, then ends in white with a touch of pink. I sourced my fabrics in London and Dublin. These consisted of brocade, chiffon, latex, netting, shredded jersey, pleather and organza.
“The shredded fabrics were a consistent feature of the collection. These consisted of layers, which varied in lengths and pom-poms of varying sizes and colours,” she added.
The judges included Irish fashion designer Helen James; last year’s winner, Ruth Duignan; fashion consultant, Eddie Shanahan and AIB’s Julie Lawton.
They were captivated by Sarah’s collection and awarded her the top prize of €2,500 to help launch her fashion career and a year’s mentoring support.
Speaking at the show, Eddie Shanahan said, ‘‘The Limerick School of Art and Design is truly an exceptional college with an enormous amount of talent and a deserved international reputation. Its graduates have gone on to work with some of the leading labels in the world, including Vivienne Westwood and Sharon Wauchob. The students are extremely professional and take enormous pride in their work.”
Sarah spent two months last summer on a work placement with Roksanda Ilincic, a Serbian-born designer whose clients include Björk, Kate Hudson and Róisín Murphy.
Sarah then spent three months with London-based Turkish designer, Bora Aksu. She worked there in the run-up to and during the fashion show of Fashion Week in London.
“Both were very enjoyable, friendly places to work. I learnt a lot about what it is to run a design company and work for one,” she recalled.
Sarah has wanted a career in fashion design since her days in Limerick’s Laurel Hill secondary school and it was while she was there that she began working towards achieving that dream. “Before my four-year degree course at Limerick School of Art and Design, I had also achieved a City and Guilds cert in Fashion Design. I did this through night classes that I did in the spare time of transition year. The following year, I did a pattern-drafting course,” she explained.
Since beginning her course in LSAD, Sarah has continually designed collections. Last year was the first year she showcased her work, which was inspired by the Bizenghast graphic novels.
While Sarah plans to spend the next year working on setting up her own business with the help of the bursary and mentors, the next three weeks will be spent finishing off her college assessments.
The Miriam Mone Award at the show was won by Ina Marie Igoe for her exceptional excellence in tailoring. The LIT Award for best use of fabric was won by Anne Marie Neligan.