Denim collections by Ravensbourne students selected for global tour with Kingpins Show

A group of Ravensbourne students have been selected to have their collections exhibited at Kingpins Show — a denim trade show that organise events across New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and China.

Groups made up of BA (Hons) Fashion and BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management students were challenged to create a range of denim garments as well as branding for their collections across ten weeks by their tutors. They were mentored by denim specialists throughout the project and provided denim from four leading mills across the world: Cone Mills (USA), Kurabo (Japan), Bossa (Turkey) and Orta (Turkey). Additionally, trims for their designs were provided by YKK (Japan).

The project culminated in an exhibition at which the various collections were judged by an expert panel including; freelance designer Amy Roberton; co-founder of Denim Forum, Sue Barrett; WGSN and Denim Dudes trend consultant Sam Trotman; founder of Trademark Blue, Kelly Harrington and Bhavesh Samji, co-owner of The Vintage Showroom.

The /’SANGWIN/ team were awarded first place prize —the opportunity to display their work at Kingpins Show in Amsterdam on 10 - 11 April, and in New York on 5 - 6 June. Comprised of; Thomas Matthews, BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management; Catherine Rees, BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management; Amelia Walker, BA (Hons) Fashion; Del-Juan Brown, BA (Hons) Fashion and Aurora Myyry, BA (Hons) Fashion, the team sought to create ‘a uniform for the underground insurgence’, empowering wearers with dark colours and sleek designs. The collection was designed with the intention to not exclude any specific market, being open to all ages and genders.

Commenting, the team said: “Being chosen as winners is more than any of us hoped for. Living and breathing our brand for the past ten weeks has been easy for us, as we have put ourselves into every aspect of /’SANGWIN/ and created something we truly believe in. But for others to invest in our vision is beyond exciting as we start to build our cult following. For now, it’s time to prepare for touring our work in New York and Amsterdam! It’s important to us that we present a fully-realised brand alongside a knock-out collection to verify our standing at the Kingpins Show.”

New.topian and Admin were both named runners up. New.topian took influence from generations of female workers who weren’t accommodated to in terms of clothing and workwear, crafting garments ‘built to last as long as your career’. Admin were inspired by ‘the rat race, hierarchy and business, constructing garments that create a humorous conflict between denim and the suit.’

Commenting, Andrew Olah, founder of Kingpins Show said: “I am delighted that Ravensbourne and Kingpins were able to collaborate on this creative, fun, denim project. I thought the students were very thoughtful in their work and carried out their ideas professionally. It was motivating for Kingpins to think about the next year and how we can all do more together. We look forward to the winning collection being shown at Kingpins Amsterdam and New York and the group coming to explain their brand to our visitors.”

Images by Sadia Rafique and Harry Adams.