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It
may only be a humble mint, but the Polo has proved a 'hole' new
inspiration for one Derby-based design student.
Helen
Pearson (19), who's just about to enter the third stage of her BA
Hons in Textile Design at The University of Derby, starts her final
year with a prestigious award tucked under her belt but no idea
whether she'll see her award winning design ever again.
 I'm
trying to find out if I can buy one of the finished garments
once they've been made |
| Helen
Pearson - winning designer |
Helen’s
design for a ‘refreshing’ summer top – which is based on the mint
with a hole - has scooped the prestigious International Knitwear
Design Award from the celebrated Italian knitwear manufacturer Annapurna.
The snow-white
cotton top, which scoops off one shoulder and is covered with tiny
knitted polo-shaped halos, has been whisked off to Italy to be copied
in cashmere and sold to European fashionistas.
Helen,
who's from Dudley in the West Midlands, was philosophical about
the turn of events: "Obviously the top's a one-off and it went
off to Italy to be judged, now it's been claimed by Annapurna and
I'm not sure if I'll see it again, which is a bit sad. I'm trying
to find out if I can buy one of the finished garments once they've
been made."
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| Helen
models the top before it's whisked off to Italy |
Helen
told us more about her design: "I just love Polo mints, their
simplicity and their shape. So, when I was looking to create a ‘cool’
top for summer it seemed the obvious choice to use them in the design."
The top
was actually something of a nightmare to make though: "The knitted
Polos were so fiddly and it was tricky to get them just right, I felt
like a jumble of fingers and thumbs for a while. It was quite frustrating
but I'm glad I chose something of a challenge." she told us.
The
Annapurna knitwear competition is by invitation only. And as well
as having her designed coutured, Helen won a cash prize of £1,500.
She's
now left wondering if the mint that she's made will be enough to buy
back her own top. |
