51Âþ»­

Two students at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) are set to take-up work placements with WGSN, after winning a lingerie and swimwear trend forecasting competition.

WGSN placement winners Mollie and Lauren, with WGSN's Katie May Atkinson and runner-up Georgina

, the global foresight business providing insight and analysis of consumer, fashion and design trends, opened the competition to all of 51Âþ»­’s second year Contour Fashion students.

The 65 students were asked to create lingerie or swimwear look-books based on one of WGSN’s 'fashion forecast' themes for AW17/18; Nocturne, Infusion, Design Matters and Earthed.

The look-books were narrowed down to 30 and presented to Katie May Atkinson, WGSN Senior Editor for Intimates and Swim, who said: “I was shocked at the high standard of work from the students.

“The presentation was as professional as an industry standard trend book, and the detail of work, in depth information and forward thinking was inspirational.”

Mollie Blue Falkingham and Lauren Alyssa Smith were chosen as the winners, and runner up, Georgia Phillips, received Topshop vouchers for her work.

Mollie's dark and mysterious look-book inspiration

Her most recent collection is based on witchcraft, so Mollie decided to explore the Nocturne theme for this project, taking inspiration from the Northern Lights, galaxies and space, as well as moths.

The 19-year-old said: “I’m gobsmacked to have been chosen, but really excited. I was thrilled with the feedback that my look-book was high in detail and exquisitely executed.”

RELATED NEWS

With her passion for history, Mollie was pleasantly surprised that she has a talent for predicting fashion trends, which she describes as ‘history in reverse’.

She said: “I’m equally terrified and happy to have to chance to work with Katie. Not only will it provide a different insight into the industry, but their resources will also give us the edge when it comes to our final year designs.”

Lauren's look-book took inspiration from her own retro sense of style

Lauren Smith channelled her own pin-up style for the challenge, taking trendy details such as lace and strapping and applying them to post-retro shapes.

The 21-year-old said: “Being so design-minded, I initially found the concept of trend prediction really alien and challenging. But it feels great to have been picked and to be told that I really understand the retro theme.

“This opportunity is a total game-changer and will open my eyes to new career opportunities. I’m excited to try something new and see what I think of it.”