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Coventry University students inspire design for City of Culture volunteer uniforms
Wednesday 30 June 2021
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Three Coventry University students have inspired the striking uniforms being worn by the volunteer City Hosts as part of Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture.
The outfits, capturing the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 brand with blue, black and white colours, include a polo shirt, long-sleeved zip top, jacket and cap, and took inspiration from designs by students on Coventry University’s graphic design and fashion degree courses.
Three proposals were chosen and played a pivotal role in inspiring and informing the final uniform design. They came from Sejin Choi (BA Graphic Design), Beyza Mert (BA Fashion) and Emily Morris (BA Graphic Design).
A further three proposals, by Alice Ellard (MA Design Management), Emily Yeomans (BA Fashion) and Natalie Evans (BA Fashion), were highly commended for the high standard and quality of the ideas developed.
City Hosts will also be given a drawstring bag, lanyard, hi-vis jacket, water bottle, pen, notepad and clear face mask. The polo shirt, long-sleeved top, lanyard and drawstring bag have all been made using 100 per cent recycled material – with each polo shirt utilising materials from up to six recycled plastic bottles.
Knowing my designs have influenced the final uniform is very exciting and rewarding. I think the uniform looks great, it really stands out and represents the City of Coventry. I am very excited to see the uniforms on volunteers around the city.
This was an incredible opportunity for me and I am so grateful to have been involved in this process with the City of Culture.
Beyza Mert, BA Fashion student at Coventry University
Coventry City of Culture Trust has collaborated with EnV and Coventry University Students’ Union (CUSU) on the recruitment drive and training of the City Host Volunteers. More than 2,300 people have already signed up to be City Hosts, with hopes for 5,000 to be recruited over the course of Coventry’s year as the UK’s City of Culture.
City Hosts will perform a variety of roles in Coventry and Warwickshire, which include providing a friendly welcome, supporting audiences to navigate around the city and providing information on artworks and events.
The City Hosts look fantastic in their uniforms and will provide a distinctive and bright welcome to audiences and visitors to Coventry.
It is great that so many volunteers have already signed up to be City Hosts, they are going to have a major part to play in our year being a success, embodying the spirit of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.
Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive of Coventry City of Culture Trust
Find out more about how to become a City Host.
