Tandragee student Charles Leathem has beaten off stiff competition to be crowned the second runner-up of the Tayto Design Competition 2018.
The competition was organised in association with Belfast Metropolitan College and the announcement was made at the recent Camerata Ireland Fashion Showcase.
Charles walked away with a tasty bursary of £100 for his creation!
The competition was open to all fashion students at the Met and is part of Tayto’s ongoing commitment to encouraging young talent and supporting local education.
Elly Hunter, Tayto marketing director, said: “When we were developing this competition with Belfast Met, we really wanted to challenge the students and test their ingenuity to the limit.
“All the garments were made totally from crisp packaging which is unlike any material they will ever have used before and they had to consider many different factors before creating their piece. The results are amazing and they have clearly drawn inspiration from a variety of sources.
“I would like to congratulate all our finalists, Andrew Moore, James Magennis and Charles Leathem, who have each taken some of our iconic packaging and transformed it into a catwalk sensation, showcasing the raw talent of some of our stars of the future.”
Claire Concannon, course co-ordinator from Belfast Metropolitan College, added: “Working with crisp packaging has been a very valuable learning experience for our ingenious students who have more than risen to the challenge.
“The judges had an almost impossible decision narrowing the entries down to just three finalists who all showed technical ability combined with creative flair and imagination.
“The finalists were then featured on the Tayto Northern Ireland facebook page with more than 2000 people voting for their favourite.
“All three finalists should be very proud of what they have achieved and they have certainly made a lasting impact on the catwalk and attracted huge interest from those attending – it’s hard to believe that these are made from material more commonly seen on the production lines at Tayto Castle.
“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote and for the many shares which helped to bring our students’ work to a wide audience.”
