THE VISIONARY
Designer: Dhurata Rexhepi

Country of origin: Kosovo

Age: 21

College: Newham College of Further Education.

The Dress: Strapless, black satin, worn with cropped
crochet silk jacket in beige-gold.

The Inspiration: 'I begin my designs by imagining what my dress would look like on the catwalk. Then I know whether
what I have in mind will work or not.'

Why FAD Fashion Futures? 'It was a good opportunity.
In college we do projects but they are not as specific as this.'

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures Lesson: 'Confidence. You
begin to believe in yourself and you realise you can do anything.'

FAD First: 'The first stage of designing was new to me, but I felt by the end that I could do this despite having a short
time to work in.'

Favorite designers: 'Galliano and Versace. Galliano
because of the colours. Versace because of the curves and tightened dresses and his use of textures.

The Future: 'My own label.'

PATTERN GIRL
Designer: Yvonne Archibald

Age: 17

Country of origin: England

College: Trinity Catholic High, Woodford, Essex

The Dress: 'Silk with a wrap which is like the dress's bodice. I used the grain line of the fabric to get different
effects when light falls on it.'

The Inspiration: 'I wanted this to be suitable for women of different sizes and not to be too revealing so all kinds of
women could wear it.'

Ideal Model: 'Catherine Zeta-Jones because she is quite curvy.'

Why FAD Fashion Futures? 'I wanted to learn more about the fashion industry and thought this was a great opportunity which would look good on my CV when I start applying for university. I also wanted to gain experience of making dresses.'

FAD Fashion Futures First: 'Making my own pattern for a dress. I'd just copied patterns to make clothes before when studying Textiles at GCSE and A'S level.'

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: 'It was great to see the dress which was just a design at the beginning and it was fantastic to see someone modeling it at a charity fashion show we held at school. I learnt about the different roles in the fashion industry: buying, designing, styling as well as how to get into the industry. I learned new skills and the technical terms for dressmaking. This has helped me without a doubt for the future. My
sewing is more accurate now too and I can use what I have learned.'

The Future: 'I'd love to work in the fashion industry but haven't decided yet whether I'd like to go into designing or to do a degree in fashion management. Visiting the chief
buyer at ASDA made me aware of the business side of fashion, thinking about what people would buy and wear in different shops. I never knew about the role of a fashion buyer before.'

THE HOLLYWOOD STYLIST
Designer: Alejandra Murga

Age: 18

Country of origin: Peru

College: Skinners 6th form College, Hackney

The Dress: A figure-hugging halterneck dress in satin with chiffon at the bust.

The Inspiration: The classic old school style of Marlene Dietrich. She used to dress in a very structured, feminine style.

Ideal model: Dietrich but obviously she�s dead so I�d probably chose the Brazilian models Fernanda Tavares or Isabeli Fontana or the actress Salma Hayek. Because they are really beautiful but have a distinctive look.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I had always been interested in Fashion, and I had studied art but I had never sewn before so when my teacher suggested it I was interested.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Learning to sew. I�d never sewn anything in my life. It was hard, but I had some help from other people and I made it.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: That I want to do fashion and that I like both the design and the sewing sides of it. I really enjoyed going to ASDA and talking to the chief buyer about what they do. She told us about how to design in a commercial way.

The Future: I want to focus on textiles in my foundation course. I�ve always wanted to be a designer or a stylist. I�m interested in styling models for photographic shoots.

SILVERSMITH
Designer: Annie Skipper

Age: 17

Country of origin: England

College: Trinity Catholic High, Woodford, Essex

The Dress: Black satin with a 10 cm silver band at the hem, off the shoulder straps in silver silk, a fitted bust and waist, a full skirt and side zip.

The Inspiration: I have a dress which is satin quite fitted in a Modern style. I love silver. It is my favourite colour so I thought I'd put a bit of me in the design. The final result combines a classic design with a modern twist. It shows off a person's figure.

Ideal Model: Cameron Diaz at a film premiere.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I'm doing textile A levels and I love doing it and have developed a passion for it. The teacher thought I could excel in FAD.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Discovering how using the industrial machine can change the appearance of the garment. I had used machines before but here I was taught not to hold back but let go and let the machine do it for you. Now I have the confidence to just pin the fabric and let it go with the machine.

FAD also helped me understand how a design can come from research and an idea can develop into a final product with different patterns. I enjoyed all of it.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: I learned a lot more about pattern cutting, how to develop patterns to make a design from a basic block.

Favorite designer: 'Donna Karan. She targets a whole range of people, and isn't as A-Class as Versace.'

The Future: I'm looking at doing textile or interior design and furnishing at Universities, and I like decorating.

THE TRAINEE RESEARCHER
Designer: Benjamin Quarcoo

Age: 20

Country of origin: Ghana

College: Hackney Community College

The Dress: Short, with a lace trim and ostrich feathers and cropped lace sleeves.

The Inspiration: Chicago' the musical and the frills of ballet dresses.

Ideal Model: The actress Kit Hudson.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? Suggested by College. I loved the whole thing and would have been mad if my teacher hadn't told me about this.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Learning to do good research. Now I'm stronger at research: anything I see I try to get something out of it for designing.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: Having to complete the task in a short time. We had a week to make the dress whereas in College you get all term to make something. This helped me make the dress faster.

The Future: I've always wanted to do design. Now I'm thinking of doing a womenswear design course at a Fashion College or University.

EVERYWOMAN
Designer: Debbie Annan

Age: 17

Country of origin: England

College: Skinners Sixth Form College, Hackney

The Dress: Strapless silk, with three- layered 'flowy' skirt with lining and diamond-shaped waist in satin. Band of fabric round shoulders.

The Inspiration: Lots of research on internet, magazines, plus looking at designers like Carlos Mills and his strappy tight black dresses. I chose the design carefully. We were told people with a triangle shape need a flowy skirt to even out their shoulders.

Ideal Model: Anyone. This is intended to be a dress for women of all different sizes.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I do Art at school and my teacher suggested it. I'd done designs before but this was the first time I had done something seriously.

FAD Fashion Futures First: I'd never made any clothes before. The bit I really enjoyed was cutting out the pieces of material and seeing it all come together. I was surprised that the finished dress looked how I planned it.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: Skill-wise I got the hang of the sewing machine. I'd never used one before.

The Future: Designing was the bit I liked best. I am interested in a future in design but my A levels are Art, Biology and Chemistry so I'm not yet sure which direction to go in. But I'd definitely consider doing a designing course.

THE SCIENTIST
Designer: Evelyn Wassa

Age: 30

Country of origin: Uganda

College: Newham College of Further Education. I also have a diploma in Electrical engineering and majored in Maths and Physics during two years of my degree in Education

The Dress: Gold jersey on black cloth: gold jersey draping over the shoulders at the back, gathered at the neck and stitched into panels at the sides.

Ideal Model: Claudia Schiffer. Her fantastic bone structure will show off the dress.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I always had a desire to make clothes.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Before this project I had never threaded a sewing machine.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: Cutting skills and how not to waste material, and how to choose fabrics that will work well together. I also found out about different career paths in the fashion industry: research, marketing, fashion journalism, design. I�ve been exposed to the lot. It will all be beneficial for the future.

The Future: I�d like to start a womenswear label: skirts and tops to start off with, jackets later.

STAR MAKER
Designer: Fiona Nisbett

Age: 24

Country of origin: I'm Black British

College: Newham College of Further Education. In September I start a foundation course in Art and Design at the London College of Fashion

The Dress: A halterneck, in satin with an asymmetric hem.

The Inspiration: 1930's Hollywood glamour.

Ideal Model: Liz Hurley. She has the essence of glamour. I admire mostly her evening dresses. She knows what suits her and carries it off.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I thought it would widen my horizons. The one-year Fashion Design course I did at Newham College was very basic. This competition took it further. It allowed me to go into detail and do more research.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Learning how to research. We had to go round London taking pictures of building. What inspired my first design was the Lloyds TSB Building. The second thing I learned was pattern-cutting. I'd never learned this before and it is about learning how to construct a garment. Phase 2 of the course taught me the skills needed to construct a dress

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: The enthusiasm and motivation to take this further. I now know how to construct the design patterns I draw. Everything I learned was really valuable because it was new to me. Also, because the course was short we had to take in as much as possible in a short space of time. The teacher from the LCF who helped us was so knowledgeable and professional that every day we were learning new things.

The Future: This course has made me more determined to take this to another level. I can see myself doing eveningwear, or daywear as well. I have so many ideas at the moment. Maybe I'd want to work in a company as a creative designer. I'm interested in looking into a stylist as well.

LACE LADY
Designer: Grace Carleton

Age: 17

Country of origin: England

College: Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford, Essex

The Dress: Satin with capped sleeves, a v-neck and lace. 'I added diamante beads to enhance the pattern and I'm a big fan of lace.'

The Inspiration: Looking at designers like McQueen and Valentino, seeing what was out there in fashion and what was setting the trends.

Ideal Model: Catherine Zeta-Jones because she is very feminine and lace is very feminine.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I do Textile A'Level at school and we got some information on FAD. I was interested in learning more about the fashion industry. It was an amazing week, everything was really good and I met some amazing people.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Pattern-cutting. I liked learning it but found it tough not having done it before.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: Developing my dress-making skills. I learned how to assemble the dress, through darts and joining seams.

The Future: I'd love to go into designing and do a fashion course, a foundation course to explore it further. In the meantime I'm making bags for my friends. I made a shawl to go with my dress in time left over when I'd finished the dress off.

THE BUSINESS WOMAN
Designer: Nicola Hitchens

Age: 18

Country of origin: England

College: Wanstead High School

The Dress: Satin acetate with polyester lining, split bell sleeves, v-neck.

The Inspiration: Pucci and the Next catalogue. I invented a questionnaire, got down to ASDA and interviewed the customers on their preferred types of necklines, hems and sleeves. I used the information they gave me in my design. The women I spoke to liked dresses that covered their arms and had a v-neck and detachable details so my design reflects that.

Ideal Model: Gwyneth Paltrow at a premier.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? Learning how to work fast under pressure.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Before this project I had never threaded a sewing machine.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: I learned more in three days than in my whole GCSE. I learned so much about patterns, different types of seam, lining.

The Future: I'd like to do womenswear design but more catwalk than High Street.

THE MOVEMENT MAKER
Designer: Pamela Spencer

Age: 17

Country of origin: England

College: Woodford County High, Essex

The Dress: Black satin with lace frills that extend outwards when you kick your leg out.

The Inspiration: I wanted to make it a movement dress that flared out. I looked at the magazines and they haven't introduced anything like this.

Ideal Model: Giselle, Naomi Campbell.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? I only did three A'S levels so my school said to spend the extra time wisely and they suggested I do a fashion course. I looked with my parents at courses offered by Fashion Colleges. They didn't like any of them but they really liked FAD.

FAD Fashion Futures First: I did GCSE textiles but I feel I improved and broadened my techniques. With sewing you get better the more that you do it.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: I found it helpful to have to do the work in a group setting at a given time. That's easier than working at home where you are not inspired to get on with it. I felt I learned from everything. A lady from the London College of Fashion came and talked about taking a degree and fashion and Art design courses. That helped me decide what to do in future. I feel I know what to apply for now.

The Future: I'm deciding whether to go on to a Foundation Course in Fashion Designing or Make-up, Hair and Photography.

THE FASHION BUYER
Designer: Rahima Begum Isha

Age: 28

Country of origin: Bangladesh

College: Newham College of Further Education

The Dress: Has V-shaped neck with sequins, bottom edge cut in triangle shape, glimpse of petticoat underneath.

The Inspiration: I checked out upcoming trends for 2006 in magazines and on the internet.

Ideal Model: Jennifer Lopez

Why FAD Fashion Futures? Suggested at College.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Everything was new to me as I only began my fashion course six months ago. I learned everything from using the machines to pattern cutting to drawing, to looking at what accessories and shoes would go with the dress. The information we were given was great.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: What fashion means, the fact that it is not just the clothes but the overall package.

The Future: I'm not sure whether I'm going to concentrate on drawing or merchandising. I like both. But there are some garment factories in my country and I'd be very interested in going there to buy fabric. I'm thinking about maybe being a fashion buyer for a business. There are lots of opportunities in my country.

THE DIY-SEAMSTRESS
Designer: Rujee Begum

Age: 16

Country of origin: Banglasdesh but born in UK

College: Mulberry Sixth Form, Tower Hamlets

The Dress: Black silk tunic with green devore sleeves and matching devore frill at knee.

The Inspiration: Devore gives a Christmas feel and a party look, but I thought just using devore would be too much as an overall design for the dress.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? To learn more about the fashion industry as a career option. Now, at school, I�m the only pupil in my A�S Textile class who knows how to pattern-cut. Also I found the other finalists� work inspiring.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Pattern cutting. I�d never done something like this. Now I know that I can make something at home in a few days.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: Confidence. Before I didn�t know how to draw, now I feel I can give everything a go. I didn�t expect to get through to the final.

The Future: I�d consider fashion as a career definitely. I�m interested in doing a fashion course.

THE FIRST-TIMER
Designer: Alexandra Achille

Age: 17

Country of origin: England

College: Valentine's High School

The Dress: Raw silk dress with halterneck, silk knots at the back and front, bodice with criss-crossing satin ribbons.

The Inspiration:I wanted to show the Little Black Dress can have details as well.

Ideal Model: Halle Berry on the red carpet.

Why FAD Fashion Futures? This is the first garment I've made.

FAD Fashion Futures First: Before this project I had never threaded a sewing machine.

Biggest FAD Fashion Futures lesson: I've learned everything about pattern-making and working on industrial sewing machines
and also that the design always comes out different to how it looks on the paper. Personally I feel more confident. Before I didn't think I could do this myself.

The Future: First of all I thought of shoe design. But this opportunity has made me think I might try clothes.