Two of Westminster's BA Fashion design alumni have been announced this week as nominees by Woolmark for the British heat of the International Woolmark Prize - all competing for the title this July. Ashley Williams has been announced as one of the four womenswear contenders while Liam Hodges has been announced as one of the four nominees for Menswear.
Upon her graduation from Westminster in June 2012, Ashley was hotly tipped as a standout designer. She showed her first collection in February 2013 with the pioneering scheme for emerging talent, Fashion East, where she continued to show for a further two seasons.
Liam takes inspirational direction from a wide range of sources, applying his own twist to the subject matter and makes it his own. Liam uses strong graphic shapes, alongside contrasting colours and playful tailoring to create an effortlessly young look and a trademark signature style, with the stark contrasts adding an almost dystopian quality to his work.
The winners of the British regional awards will be announced in July at an award ceremony at the Australian High Commission in London, joining the winners from 12 territories across the world to compete for the international prize. The winner will be revealed at the same venue in January 2017.