Student’s design to be brought to life by international costume company following B&FC contest

Some of the most iconic costumes in history have come from the pages of comic books.

And now Blackpool and The Fylde College student Cindy To has added to the cannon after creating her own colourful characters.

It comes after Richard Mawer, Director of international company Karnival Costumes Ltd, set B&FC students with a challenge to come up with an iconic outfit as part of their degree programme.

For the winning entry, BA Hons Fashion and Costume student Cindy came up with two innovative designs on the theme ‘super heroes versus super villains’. The first was a moth-style morph outfit with detachable wings while the second was her take on a Symbiote – made famous by Marvel Comics.

The 20-year-old Blackpool student’s winning design has now been passed to the Karnival Costumes office in China for a sample to be developed before an international sales launch. Meanwhile, Cindy had the opportunity to work in Richard’s Cleveleys office over the summer, giving her valuable real-world work experience.

During the competition, Richard visited the College a number of times to talk to students and set them an exciting brief for them which mirrored industry practice.

He said: “In my business, I look for a strong design aesthetic, a contemporary knowledge of popular culture, and confident design skills to communicate ideas and take them through to the manufacturing stages in Shanghai.

“This was a fantastic assignment and will be an ongoing collaboration which will be beneficial to both students and local industry.”

As part of her prize, Cindy won a fabulous stay in London with the opportunity to see a top West End show, as well as being able to add the achievement to her already impressive CV.

Last year, Cindy won a competition run by the Manchester International Festival and English National Ballet and was lucky enough to have her winning design created by their wardrobe department and premiered by an English National Ballet soloist at the festival in September 2016.

Angy Young, Programme Leader for BA Fashion and Costume for Performance at B&FC, added:  “The Fashion and Costume degree course at Blackpool and The Fylde College sits at the interface of high fashion and creative costume and the degree is unique in that it has a dual focus from the earliest stages of the programme.

“There is a strong emphasis on an industry facing approach and students are encouraged to take part in competitions, gain work experience through internships and other professional opportunities and be flexible in their future aspirations.

“The skills covered on the course are varied and link to a range of career options.”

B&FC offers more than 60 degrees – including BA Fashion Design (Contemporary Costume) – accredited by long-standing partner, Lancaster University, ranked in the top 10 of universities in the UK.

The College works closely with industry partners and co-creates many of its programmes with leading organisations so they remain relevant for the ever-changing needs of business.