Coventry fashion graduates line up for industry awards show

Four of the latest fashion graduates from Coventry University are in the running for honours at the prestigious Midlands Fashion Awards 2014, which take place at the CBSO Centre in Birmingham this Friday (24 October). 

Kamilla Jones from Croydon, Jessica Hearnden from Birmingham, Jenna Baxter from Chelmsford and Yasmeen Khalid from Bromsgrove graduated from the university this year and all are on the shortlist for the best Young Designer title at the event.  

Jessica is also in contention to be crowned top Accessory Designer and former Coventry University student Chloe Hollingsworth, who graduated with a first class honours degree in Fashion Design in 2013 and who now has her own label of luxury street style clothing, is also up for the Young Designer award. 

The nominees are amongst 40 shortlisted candidates at the event which sees the region’s best up and coming fashion designers, stylists, make-up artists and accessory designers presenting their work to an expert judging panel of industry professionals.

Now in their sixth year, the Midlands Fashion Awards were set up to recognise, inspire and promote the wealth of fashion talent within the region. Coventry University alumni have performed exceptionally well in previous competitions with graduates from the university winning the Young Designer awards in 2012 and 2013.

Fashion lecturer Rebecca Ryder Caddy is hopeful of a hat trick of titles this year. She said: 

We’re thrilled that our graduates have once again been shortlisted for the Midlands Fashion Awards. It’s a brilliant event which always attracts high quality candidates and this year is no exception so the girls have done really well just to make it this far.

It would be fantastic if one our graduates came out on top for the third year running and I believe all of them are in with a really good chance. Each and every one of them would certainly make a worthy winner.

The Midlands Fashion Awards 2014 take place at the CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham from 7.45pm on Friday 24 October. Further information about the event, including how to book tickets for the show, is available at the MFA website.  


For further information, please contact Mark Farnan, communications assistant, Coventry University, on +44 (0)24 7765 8245 or email mark.farnan@coventry.ac.uk.