Northumbria students put their stamp on Dr. Martens Newcastle

Three students from Northumbria’s School of Design have been announced as winners of a creative design competition from British brand, Dr. Martens, to celebrate the opening of its first standalone store in Newcastle.

Megan Bramhald, Vicky McMenigall and Sophie Leigh have won the opportunity to have their designs on display in the Newcastle store window in 2014 and a £150 voucher to each spend on their choice from the range of Dr. Martens footwear, clothing and accessories on offer in the store on Grainger Street.

In October, Dr. Martens set second year BA (Hons) Fashion Design students a project brief to design an outfit that draws on local music and rebellious sub-culture, political references and their brand ethos – reflecting the Dr. Martens global A/W13 advertising campaign #STANDFORSOMETHING that celebrates free-thinking individuals.

The students held a catwalk show of their designs on Wednesday 11 December in the impressive Design School. Alongside the menswear and womenswear creations, designs and fabric swatches were showcased by the students specialising in textiles and knitwear.

Dr. Martens’ UK retail marketing manager Amy Nelson travelled up from London to join Newcastle store manager Rosie Ward and lecturers from the University on the judging panel. One winner was chosen from each specialism to ensure all of the students were in with a chance of winning.

Amy Nelson said: “I was really excited to come along and see the designs first-hand and we’ve been blown away by the students’ interpretations of the Dr. Martens brand and the quality of production.”

Winning student Megan Bramhald said: “I’m over the moon to have won the live project for such a timeless brand. The #STANDFORSOMETHING campaign carries such a strong message expressing self-pride no matter who you are, your age and what your individual style is – Dr. Martens resonates with anyone who’s into popular culture.”

Northumbria BA (Hons) Fashion Design senior lecturer, Gael Henry, said: “It’s been a highly successful collaboration that’s concluded with a very lively presentation, which we hope the Dr. Martens team enjoyed as much as we did. The students responded brilliantly to the Dr. Martens brief, in particular drawing inspiration from sub-culture and music. The designs were perfectly conceived for its high street market and I know how much enthusiasm and effort the students put into producing them.”