Lisa Ly, BA (Hons) Fashion student at CSVPA, has taken home the much coveted Bronze Catwalk Award at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week (GFW).
To be selected for this highly sought after award is an incredible accolade, and is the ultimate recognition of her talent and skill at the world’s largest and most illustrious showcase of graduate fashion.
Selected from over 1,400 entrants, her designs were reviewed by a judging panel consisting of:
Nicholas Daley, designer and founder of Nicholas Daley
Edeline Lee, designer and founder of Edeline Lee
Philippa Nixon, CEO at ERDEM
Angelo Mitakos, Fashion Editor at GQ Magazine
Lily Russo Bah, Fashion Director at Marie Claire Magazine
Vanessa Spece, Senior Creative Director at ASOS
Michael Hennegan, editor at ES Magazine
As a nominee for the Best of GFW24 Catwalk Awards, Lisa’s collection returned to the catwalk for the exclusive, invite-only Best of GFW24 show which was watched by industry professionals, excited to see the freshest talent entering the world of Fashion. She was also invited to attend a VIP drinks reception where she could celebrate her achievement and network with a plethora of guests from the industry, as well as the other GFW24 Catwalk Award winners.
Having already been nominated for The Zandra Rhodes Textile Award and The Considered Fashion Awards, as well as having her collection selected for the GFW’s Class of 2024 Showcase, GFW has been a momentous experience for Lisa.
Holly Fulton, Head of Fashion at CSVPA, said “We are delighted for Lisa on her win; it is a great accolade to be recognised and have her collection ranked in the top 3 from over 1400 that were shown during the week. The maturity and creativity that she developed over her years with us were clearly evidenced in her final collection, a perfect fusion of sustainability, heritage and forward facing design. We look forward to seeing what she does next and wish her all the very best for the future!”
Lisa’s collection draws its inspiration from Sergei Parajanov’s film The Color of Pomegranates (1969).
Lisa said “The film has always held a special place in our family life as we moved to the Northern caucuses and set up home in the post-soviet city of Pyatigorsk. The film speaks of a lost way of life and offers a challenge to society and particular ways of being. For me one of the most pertinent aspects is the use of androgyny, with the lead actress playing both the male poet and his love interest to symbolise how love has two faces. It is this visual celebration of the multifaceted nature of human beauty and the embrace of my Armenian heritage that drives my collection also called The Colour of Pomegranates.”
“I believe that fashion must collect and cherish the materials and remnants of the past, so it was important to me that all the fabrics used were recycled, with the majority sourced by my mother and grandmother. The local farmers of Karachay-Cherkessia supplied us with the sheep skins, which would otherwise have been destroyed. As Parajanov reinterpreted traditional Armenian clothing for the film, I take this further creating a collection of voluminous androgynes – a collage for a new world derived from the traces of the old.”
Interested in studying Fashion at University? Learn more about our GFW multi-award winning BA (Hons) Fashion programme.
