Textiles students win grants
News
Two Bath Spa Textiles students have won grants to help further their creative careers
Friday, 23 June, 2023Final year Bath Spa University BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors student, Chloe Hawkins, has won the £2,000 Rise Grant from her employer and global fast food chain, KFC.
With equity at its core, the grant was designed to provide financial support to women pursuing personal development outside the workplace and required Chloe to showcase her designs and deliver a pitch on how she would use the money to follow her dream of becoming a textile designer.
Chloe was delighted to hear that her efforts had been a success and she would be crowned the winner of this year’s Rise Grant. She explained how she would use the grant to attend the New Designers, an annual showcase of the UK’s most innovative emerging design talent, and would celebrate her achievement at KFC’s head office where the award was announced as part of KFC’s International Women’s Day celebrations.
Speaking about the grant’s impact on her future as a textile designer, Chloe said:
“I feel immensely honoured to have won the Rise Grant. Being picked from a long list of entries was amazing. I’ll now be attending the New Designer's event in London and having the support will be amazing.”
Chloe’s award, a reflection of her hard work and determination, will provide her with a well-deserved leg up in the industry, allowing her to showcase her work at key industry events throughout the year.
Rachael Howard, Senior Lecturer in Textile Design and Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors joint-Course Leader said:
“Winning KFC's Rise Grant for Future Female Leaders has been fantastic for Chloe and we are so proud of her award. It shows Chloe's determination and tenacity to confidently put herself out there and believe in her work. She has produced a brilliantly colourful and energetic series of designs that really engage a viewer and we look forward to showing her designs at New Designers in London very soon.”
Also celebrating her success is fellow final year Bath Spa University BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors student, Tilly Goldsmith. Tilly has secured herself the £1,500 Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters Company Award by The Framework Knitters Company, an award designed to encourage students pursuing further and higher education to take an interest in the knitwear industries.
Tilly won over the judges by creating a collection of sustainable, knitted protective packaging with British yarns and fibres. Her unique designs soared through two stages of assessment and she was invited back for an interview before learning of her triumph and accepting this year’s Framework Knitters Company Award.
Rachael Howard, Senior Lecturer in Textile Design and Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors joint-Course Leader said:
“Winning the prestigious Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters Award has enabled Tilly to focus her studies with intent and purpose on her final "Nested" project resulting in a wonderfully soft and sumptuous collection of highly covetable knitted garments.”
These achievements are only the beginning for these budding designers who will be showcasing at New Designers next week. Follow their adventures at the exhibition @textiles_bathschoolofdesign.