Beekeepers inspire fashion collection

22-year-old Megan Johnson, of Mansfield, is in her final year of a degree in fashion design and technology at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Hollings faculty.

She will be showing outfits inspired by beekeepers and made using parachute silk, and has also been nominated for the Graduate Fashion Week Accessories Award for her matching range of bags made from parachutes and paracord.

Megan said: “This collection has been inspired by beekeepers, what they wear and the textures that comes from their suits.

She added: “This is a functional collection however I wanted it to be something which is unlike anything else so I added fashion elements to this.

“The parachute over-exaggerates the beekeeper’s outfit and reflects the creases in the beekeeper’s suit on a bigger scale.”

The former New College, Nottingham, pupil’s collection also features quirky details, such as glow-in-the-dark bee wings and reflective cuffs.

In the future, Megan says she would like to gain experience in the fashion industry before starting her own label and potentially teaching other students in future.

She has already tasted some success after winning the Future Football competition in collaboration with the National Football Museum, meaning her winning design will go to Wembley and also be put in the National Football Museum.

Each year, the best fashion students nationally are chosen by their tutors to show their final year collections at Graduate Fashion Week.

Megan’s collection will form part of the show by ten Hollings students at Truman Brewery on June 7.

Students from the Manchester School of Art, at Manchester Metropolitan University, will also be showing their designs on the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week.

For more information on Graduate Fashion Week, visit the website www.graduatefashionweek.com

Alternatively, see #wearegraduatefashion on Twitter.

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