Published:
Heriot-Watt Fashion Communications student Alannah Cooper has won the Fashion Photography Award at the 2017 Graduate Fashion Week.
This major award is wonderful for the profile of the School and its students.
Graduate Fashion Week is a world leading event celebrating the creativity of students and graduates within fashion.
23 year old Alannah, who is about to graduate with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Communication from the University's School of Textiles and Design in Galashiels, won the award for her photographic publication Teran. Alannah grew up in Orkney and the collection is based on her experience of growing up on the island, looking to the poetry of her great grandfather's first cousin, Robert Rendall, to inspire her work.
“Growing up on a rural Scottish island often causes young people to feel conflict about their future. This uncertainty revolves around whether they will continue living on the island when they reach adulthood or if their ambitions will push them to leave, feeling they must do so in order to have a successful career.
“Teran considers this inner conflict and questions whether rural out-migration in young creatives can be reduced by providing them with successful role models and a means of looking at their home with fresh eyes.”
Theresa Coburn and Stephen Lee are Alannah's tutors at the University's School of Textiles and Design.
A phenomenal achievement
Theresa Coburn, Director of Studies, Fashion Communication, said, “Graduate Fashion Week is a showcase to the world of the best UK student fashion talent. This is a phenomenal achievement by Fashion Communication student, Alannah Cooper."
Stephen Lee, Lecturer in Fashion Communication, said, "This major award is wonderful for the profile of the School and its students."