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26/7/11
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Hop, skip and jumping to success A DESIGNER from Huddersfield who hasn’t even graduated yet will see her footwear and bag designs hit the shops in 2012 after winning a competition with Gola. Jennifer Brook, a second year student at De Montfort University, was one of 36 students challenged by the brand to come up with new designs that reflected its history and heritage. She took inspiration from sports activities such as running, swimming and the long jump with the layout of running tracks and prints of the words ‘hop’, ‘skip’, and ‘jump’ featuring prominently in the design. Jennifer said: “I really enjoyed the whole experience of this challenge, from working on the brief to interacting with designers and visiting the head offices in London. “It’s exciting to know that the designs I created will be available to buy in the shops. My designs are innovative because they integrate aspects of athletic activities with fashionable designs that can be used for branding across not only the shoes, but bags, t-shirts and packaging.” In April 2011, Gola’s PR and marketing manager Donna Hill and head designer Andrew Sutton invited the students to their studios in
London to present their collections and judge the competition. Donna Hill said: “We wanted to set a brief for a capsule collection that would get people excited about athletics and sport. We were really impressed by the thought process behind Jenny’s designs and were excited to see
how she would progress with her idea. From start to finish, Jenny executed her ideas very well and produced something that would work commercially for our target market.” Jennifer was also awarded £500 for creating the collection, which Gola has named Next Generation
to celebrate and represent young and upcoming design talent. Fellow footwear design student Loretta Glendinning, 23, from Hackney, London, was named the runner-up of the competition, winning £150 for her trainer designs based on vintage styles worn in 1948.
Independent shoe shop owners Tony and Carole Baker have won a twonight break in Dorset. The couple – who own Peppermint in Dartford – won the weekend break after entering a competition run by the Jacobson Group that rewarded customer loyalty.
Jon Paul Grogan as been appointed as sales executive for the Jacobson Group for the Babycham footwear brand. He will be responsible for selling the branded footwear and accessories to key, targeted accounts alongside his current role selling Gola Classics footwear and bags. The Babycham collection targets the young female who likes fun and spirited footwear and will retail from this season (Spring, Summer 2011.)
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August/September 2011
News