Womenswear designer Mary Benson, who graduated from the University of Westminster Fashion Design BA Honours course in 2014, is set to show her debut collection at London Fashion Week as part of Fashion East. Mary will be presenting her collection at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) gallery on 20th February at 7.30pm. She will also receive financial sponsorship, ongoing business mentoring and a place in a top international sales showroom in Paris.
Mary’s selection was welcomed by Fashion East Founder and Director Lulu Kennedy and by Andrew Groves, Course Director for Fashion Design at Westminster, who said: “The University of Westminster is renowned for producing young designers with both a unique and individual vision of fashion, and I know she will add to the vision and originality that London Fashion Week is known for worldwide.”
Mary’s graduation collection was influenced by 70s album cover art and her icon Kate Bush. Her signature prints are influenced by stained glass, Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau motifs, and translated into ethereal imagery. Her collections heavily feature ladylike silhouettes with full skirts, bell sleeves and romantic dresses. Autumn Winter 2015 is her on-schedule London Fashion Week debut.
•For more information on fashion at the University of Westminster, go to: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/media