HRH Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, London College of Fashion, UAL Patron since 2013 visited LCF’s new East Bank home on 19 February to see the Postgraduate Class of 2024 show and visit the Digital Learning Lab.
The Duchess joined Head of College Andrew Teverson and President Vice-Chancellor James Purnell on the Lower Ground floor, speaking to MA Fashion Futures student Gemma Metheringham and MA Footwear student Danny Suwandi.
The tour was then joined by Dean of the School of Design and Technology Claudine Rousseau as they visited the MA Menswear on the Mezzanine and spoke to students Yuki Zeng, Saul Gradeckaite and Lorenzo Piccolli.
In the gallery HRH was taken with Emily Higgins’ costume ’The Monster Project,’ and Strat Magazine from students Blaze Palka, Anupriya Dutta Gupta and Margarita Ivanova, as well as the Pop-up shop from MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The group moved up to Ground and met MA Fashion Design Technology Womenswear students Emily Saunders and Pun Puttanakulkumjorn before moving to the Gallery to meet Bex Cassie, Creative Director of the School of Media and Communication and students from MA Artefact, Journalism and Photography.
The tour ended at Makers Square where HRH participated in digital gaming projects from Qian Lan Wang and YiYang Lu from MA Fashion Media and Communication. Digital Learning Lab with a presentation from Peter Hill and Leah Hoy and the Duchess tried on virtual bomber jackets using the digital garment fitter.
Claudine Rousseau said:
“We are delighted to have hosted HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh today at our new East Bank site to visit our Postgraduate Class of 2024 showcase. Her Royal Highness spent time meeting the students and hearing about the process and themes behind their collections, which was such an exciting opportunity for them to further showcase their work during London Fashion Week. The visit included a demonstration from our Digital Learning Lab team, a unique space where students can experiment with new technologies in their work and access expert advice.”