Style Cramp: Graduate Fashion Week - Introducing Kitty Keay

"Novelty makes fashion more alluring."

Kitty Keay, Mulberry Accessories Award winner, Graduate Fashion Week 2010

It's the place to look for upcoming talent; Graduate Fashion Week drew to a close with a gala show last Wednesday.

Alberta Ferretti presented the £20,000 River Island Gold Award to Rebecca Thompson, whose collection mixed hand-pleats with jersey, lace bibs with endless pleats and boasted crisps collars Lagerfeld would be proud of. All very wearable. Rebecca is a name to look out for.

Rebecca Thompson's Graduate Collection, winner of the River Island Gold Award
Our style eye was firmly on the winner of the Mulberry Accessories Award, Kitty Keay. We are massively biased as Kitty's from our little home town of Colchester (Colchester School of Art, Design and Media), but we don't care. It got our attention and then when we checked out her collection, we loved her SHIZ.

Mulberry Accessories Award winner Kitty Keay, Colchester School of Art, Design and Media
Kitty has only gone and bloody been picked with ten other students to be photographed by RANKIN. We're so proud!

Photo by Rankin

Emma Hill, Creative Director of Mulberry, said she chose Kitty's collection as it was 'full of charm and wit'. Apparently she loves Kitty's accessories, and if they have anywhere near the gorgeous detail of this multicoloured tasselled jumpsuit, we're sure they're ace!

Kitty says she's inspired by exotic animals, youth and frivolity. While Rebecca Thompson's pieces have much merit in their crisp yet loose tailoring and bright whites, it's a mature collection. We think Kitty's designs represent everything that young fashion should be about - fun and a little bit of silliness. We're not usually one for pastels, but the colour palette looks rather edible!

We'll be looking out for this one in the future.

Here's Kitty's graduate portfolio: