51Âþ»­

Be prepared to be amazed at the innovative work of hundreds of 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) students at this year’s Art and Design Degree Show.

The exhibition, which launched to the public on Saturday, showcases the work of the next generation of artists and designers from courses including art, design crafts, fashion, textiles, contour fashion, footwear and architecture.



On Friday, the exhibition opened to family, friends, VIPs and industry experts as awards were presented and work was snapped up for the university’s Christopherson Collection, which buys some of the most innovative work to retain for the 51Âþ»­ archives.

Among those to have their work selected was footwear designer Cameron Murdoch, who created a shoe inspired by the idea of space. Cameron – who wore his own 3D printed shoes at the show - said: “I walked into the footwear studio on an open day and never left. I loved it from the start, and learning from the tutors here and the opportunities we have has been amazing. I was so happy to have the award and I’ve definitely found my passion.”



Fashion Design students showed off their creations which just 48 hours before had been seen on the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week.

“I wanted to cry when I saw the designs come down the catwalk, it was such a moment for me,” said designer Darshni Kanji, whose creations were inspired by the idea of finding escapism. She visited sensory rooms as part of her research and reflected the concept using structured pleats. “I am so proud of how these designs have turned out, they are exactly how I wanted.”

The Contour Fashion students gave people a glimpse of some of the collection which will be on the catwalk at 51Âþ»­ on July 13. Among them was Jami Mkumba, who will be showing four of her designs based on Greek mythology.

She said: “I wanted drama, a sense of occasion and this idea of Medusa so there will be lots of dramatic sculptural effects, I’m really looking forward to the catwalk show and see it all come to life, but I’ll be honest it’s a bit nerve-wracking!”



Design Crafts, Product Design and Interior Design, as well as Textiles Design were all showing their work which is off to London’s New Designers showcase next week, where industry experts from big name companies come to find the latest talent.

Rhea Pattenden’s creations are influenced by artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Jean Arp. “I’m so pleased with how they turned out and I’ve had a lot of people say how much they like the designs tonight.”

The degree show is open to the public until Wednesday, from 10am to 4pm every day. For more details, visit the web page here

ask jas