<p>The competition offers a platform for enthusiastic young designers from around the world to showcase their creative designs and personally interact with and draw on the knowledge and experience of fashion and textile industry professionals.<br /><br />This year, the UK’s West of England and South Wales regional heat was hosted by Plymouth College of Art, welcoming 15 entrants from five institutions: Plymouth College of Art, Falmouth University, University of the West of England, South Gloucester &amp; Stroud College and Cardiff Met University.</p>

<p>Judged by industry professionals Tracey Ward, independent graphic and textile print designer, and Jane Deane, Textile designer at Jane Deane Textiles, the winner of each heat progresses to the UK final, who then compete to represent the UK in the Grand Final held in November.<br /></p>

<p>Out of the five prizes awarded on the day, two went to our <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-textile-design" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BA (Hons) Printed Textile Design &amp; Surface Pattern</a> third-year students. Hannah Partridge was awarded Highly Commended, and Sophie Minshall received the Runner-up prize.</p> <p>Sophie’s designs were influenced by the narrative offered in the cinematography of the film “Lo Sono l’Amore”. Drawing on this story of empowerment and female strength, she used the colour palette to create designs for a collection of fabrics for lingerie designed for women, and not a male interpretation of what women should wear.</p> <p>Student Sophie said, “Being part of the competition has been a fantastic experience and I was honoured to receive runner-up from this prestigious organisation. As a designer I am genuinely passionate about colour and working on my entry has really shaped the way in which I use colour and pushed it to a more sophisticated level.”</p>

<p><strong>Follow Sophie's work on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mulhollanddesign/">@mulhollanddesign</a>, Hannah's work on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/partridgeprint/">@partridgeprint</a>, and the Society of Dyers and Colourists on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sdccolour/">@sdccolour</a>.</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-textile-design" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Take a look at our BA (Hons) Textile Design programme</a></li><li><a href="https://sdc.org.uk/">Read about the competition on the official website for the Society of Dyers and Colourists</a></li></ul>