Glamorgan fashion student shortlisted in international competition
May 8, 2012
A University of Glamorgan fashion student has become one of only four from the UK selected to take part in a prestigious international competition.
Mia Gebauerova successfully passed the first round of the Arts of Fashion Competition 2012 thanks to sketches and technical specifications she submitted to the judging panel.
Mia, 21 is originally from the Czech Republic, and is currently in the first year of the BA (Hons) Fashion Design course at the university’s Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries.
This year there were 330 applicants for the competition from 107 Fashion Schools and Universities from 35 different countries, with only 4 students from the UK making the shortlist. Mia is the only UK student outside of a London fashion school to have secured a place in the final.
The winning designs will be selected at the Arts of Fashion Symposium in San Francisco this October.
The winners of the contest will receive scholarships to the Arts of Fashion 4-week summer masterclass at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in the Louvre, Paris. They will also have the opportunity to take part in internships with international fashion houses in Paris, New Delhi and San Francisco.
“I am very pleased to have a place in such a small, exclusive group of UK students” said Mia. “It is a brilliant opportunity to show my designs world-wide, and a place on one of the internships would be great for my CV.”
Mia’s concepts for the competition are partially inspired by trees and wood. “My father restores antique furniture and I have been always been fascinated with the quality of wood grain and the beautiful patterns it contains” explains Mia. “My collection references the patterns created by growth rings. I have used them to circulate, twist and envelop the body.”
Tracy Pritchard, Head of the University’s Division of Fashion and Retail Design, is impressed that Mia is already making her mark in the world of fashion so early in her career. “Mia is only just coming to the end of her first year on the fashion design course and already she’s receiving recognition for her talents in a competition of international significance” said Tracy. “Regardless of whether or not Mia’s designs are selected in the final later this year, I am very excited to see what the future has in store for her.”
See some of Mia’s sketches below.
