Judges
Jenny Eason, Founder and Managing Director
Jenny Eason is the founded of the Midlands Fashion Awards. She began her career in education and training, and after realising that there was a need for a platform for local and regional designers to showcase their talent with no prior event management background, she started out to plan and organise a one-off catwalk show.
Interest quickly grew for an annual fashion event; this led to Jenny launching the Midlands Fashion Designer Awards in 2009, now called Midlands Fashion Awards. It is an annual fashion event with the aim to celebrate the wealth of talent from across Birmingham and the Midlands region.
In 2012 Jenny saw a huge interest from national independent and emerging designers applying to showcase; this resulted in the launch of the Independent Designers Catwalk show created to accommodate designers from different angles with local, regional and now national designers given the opportunity to showcase.
LUKE 1977
Founder and Managing Director at LUKE 1977
Since its humble beginnings in the West Midlands in 2001 Luke has developed into a leading contemporary menswear brand with a following stretching far and wide. The brand has evolved organically keeping all of its values, which sets it apart.
Luke is a practical interpretation on contemporary menswear and has all the components of the modern lad, a gentleman, a working class hero and a bit of a rogue. Luke’s ethos is to put a fashionable twist on any men’s garment but without overdesigning to retain a cool masculine look. The brand offers an exclusive look for an inclusive country, the United Kingdom of Luke.
Luke Roper himself has grown up with fashion in his blood; designing statement pieces for his mates from an early age. This passion and design talent led Luke all the way to Central St Martins, the top design college in the land. Here he honed his skills and was able to take his raw creativity and develop into a forward thinking menswear designer. The obvious progression was his own brand and ‘Luke’ was born.
Website: www.luke1977.com
Lisa Shepherd Salons
Lisa Shepherd, Founder of Lisa Shepherd Salons
“Renowned for her stunning makeover work and watched by millions on Channel 4’s ‘10 years younger’, Lisa Shepherd has earned her title as TV’s colour queen. Her salons are a ‘mecca’ for anyone looking for a complete colour overhaul attracting over 1000 clients a week from all over the UK. Fully booked for over 3 months, Lisa is one of the most sought after hairdressers in the UK.
Lisa has a list of awards and accreditations that see her recognized as one of the top colourists and hairdressers in the country. Lisa is the only colourist to have won the biggest hairdressing prize in the world: British hairdresser of the year.
She heads up a brilliant team of colourists and stylists, many of them have already been recognized as rising stars in the hairdressing industry .
She also plays a key role with the Global Giant that is Redken NYC as their Redken NYC UKi Color Ambassador. This role demands her ever progressive colour mind to always keep haircolor for both the hairdresser and most of all the consumer happy, current and focused! Lisa shepherds salons are the go-to destination for must have colour.”
Jules Cardozo-Marsh
With over eleven years’ experience in the industry, Jules Cardozo-Marsh has established herself as one of the most highly regarded session make-up artists in the UK and has become known for creating stunning looks for leading fashion and beauty brands such as Guess, Puma, Schwarzkopf, L’Oreal, Cocosa and Marks & Spencer. Jules’ vast experience in both the beauty and fashion industry has seen her work appear regularly on television productions as well as the pages of glossy magazines. Jules believes that make-up and trends should be accessible to all, and with her credible expertise she is perfectly placed to bring looks from her iconic campaigns to the everyday women.
“I love the rush I get when pushing my creative boundaries on high-fashion shoots, but my biggest passion is enhancing the appearance of everyday, busy women who have little time to spend time on themselves. By making small changes like introducing clients to new colours and teaching them to explore their experimental side, I know I am making a difference and that’s the buzz I enjoy most.” Jules Cardozo-Marsh
www.julescardozomarsh.com
Kim Stephens, Retail Marketing Manager
Resorts World Birmingham
www.resortsworldbirmingham.co.uk
Andrew Riley
Editor in Chief at Style Birmingham Magazine
www.stylebham.com
Disorder Boutique
Mark Howard is Designer and Managing Director at Disorder
Disorder is an award winning fashion brand, and a men’s/women’s fashion boutique based in Birmingham City Centre.
Disorder Boutique is a beacon to those who love creatively made clothes with design integrity. Among the many reviews we have received includes, from Vogue Magazine, stating Disorder to be 'A very special shop even by world standards', and Mary Portas, brand consultant to the Government and Apple amongst others, saying 'Disorder was the cleverest and one of the best shop/brands she has seen in years.
Established in 1998, Disorder design and manufacture their own clothing in Birmingham, using British fabrics, exporting around world. Disorder is a fashion forward Directional Clothing Brand, its signature style is an Italian Tailored Cut, with Oriental Styling, and a British Twist; which gives Disorder an inconceivable edge. We print our own original paintings and artwork onto fabrics, and onto apparel. Everything we make is limited edition, and produced to the highest ethical standards, in the city itself.
Libby Walton
Libby Walton is a leading personal stylist based in the West Midlands. Described as Wolverhampton's very own Gok Wan Libby's clients range from Mums on the run to BBC presenters looking for a new image.
Her aim is to create a wardrobe that inspires you which is full of statement pieces which work for you, your lifestyle and your budget.
Libby also runs styling events, workshops and fashion shows; working here at the Hyatt, as well as with Hampton Manor, Hilton Hotels, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. She is also a popular choice as a keynote speaker at various ladies networking events in and around the city.
A busy Mom of two boys, she truly believes that anyone can be stylish. It's not about how much you spend on clothes, or whether they are in or out of fashion, it's all about looking effortless and comfortable in the clothes you wear.
I'm honoured to be asked to judge at this years MF awards and am looking forward to discovering the designers of the future and seeing their work.
Show Presenter Adele Roche
Adele has been presenting and modelling successfully for the past 10 years. Most recently for Sky's Gems TV which she has clocked up a numerous amount of live on air hours and experience. Her expertise lie with presenting at live events and corporate videos this joint with her commercial modelling portfolio she has some impressive clients under her belt. This is the forth year Adele has been involved in the Midlands Fashion Awards and we are told she thoroughly enjoys it!
Show Presenter Chiara Glorioso
With over a decade of experience as a presenter, Chiara has become an established name in the West Midlands. Over the last 4 years, she has become a much loved personality on the Breakfast Show at Free Radio in Birmingham.
She now presents her own show on Big City Radio 89.1FM Every Saturday between 10am and Midday. You can also hear Chiara Presenting Travel news on the BBC and TALKSPORT.
Go check her out at www.chiaraglorioso.com
Debra Hepburn
Debra is a Midlands girl, studied at Moseley School of Art and Birmingham University and has had a successful career in Marketing for over twenty years. She was one of the founding partners of Young British Designers when it was established in 2010. A lifelong fashionista, champion of great creative work and mentor for growing and developing young talent, Debra curates the collection for the Young British Designers site.
Pam Cheema
Founder and Managing Director at Frock on Vintage
Stylist Pam Cheema, cherry-picks the highest quality for Frock on Vintage, taking inspiration from current trends, the catwalk and most importantly the girl on the street. With experience working on ad campaigns, editorial shoots, and catwalk shows, Pam knows how to use her vintage style to push boundaries and turn heads. Having set up Frock on Vintage in 2010 the brand has since built a strong fan base both regionally and nationally.
Elle Sixsmith, Fashion Writer and Journalist
Style Birmingham Magazine www.stylebirminghammag.com
Katie McPhilemay
Managing Editor/Owner at Live 24 Seven Magazine
As Managing Editor/Owner of Live 24 Seven, a series of high quality lifestyle magazines distributed across the region, Katie appreciates great design. With Live 24 Seven, Katie reflects the lives of the readers, highlighting the best in luxury lifestyle with a fusion of style, fashion and beauty, alongside beautiful interiors, travel features, and restaurant reviews. Katie also supports a number of local charities, as a patron of Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer and a board member of the Coventry & Warwickshire.
www.live24-seven.com
Sy Anne Taylor
Professional Stylist
His birthplace, Hamburg, where she gained 2 firsts; a German degree and a Styling job…oh and a penchant for leather and monochrome of course!
Since graduating Sy has worked in marketing for large commercial brands. Wanting to further explore her visually creative side, she trained and began working as a freelance personal stylist and photo shoot producer alongside her full time job.
Picking up the award for Midlands Fashion Stylist of the year in 2013 has been a career highlight. With the win based on her passion for supporting upcoming and established independent designers and boutiques to high end high street retail in this fine county, Sy translates trends from the runway to bring you global fashion looks on a local scale.
Karl may have Paris and Chanel but Sy’s looking to put the Midlands on the fashion map – we may be middle of the country but we certainly aren’t middle of the road!
www.bysy.co.uk
Alison Lewry
Alison Lewy is a fashion industry expert and founder of Fashion Angel, a fashion business accelerator that offers mentoring, training, networking and access to funding to both new and established fashion industry entrepreneurs.
She is also author of Design Create Sell - a guide to starting and running a successful fashion business, published by Brightword Publishing.
@FashionAngel1
Gavin Douglas
Gavin Douglas is a highend womens wear fashion label that within a short period of time, has achieved incredible success and recognition. Douglas’ ultra-chic designs have been worn by A list celebrities and have been seen regularly on the pages of the world’s most influential fashion and lifestyle publications, including Harper’s Bazaar, Tatler and Vogue.
Born in Birmingham in the United Kingdom, Douglas excelled in creative design from a young age and on leaving high school, actively pursued fashion as a career option. On graduating from university, Douglas set up his fashion label and quickly became recognised as an innovative fashion designer. He went on to be awarded The Avant-Garde Designer of the Year, The Fashion Fringe Award, Smirn-Off Originator Award and the Caribbean Master Designer Award.
With numerous awards, professional qualifications and training in the fashion and textile industry, Douglas was recognized as one of 50 of the most influential Black role models in the United Kingdom by the then, British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown in City Hall, London. Douglas has also been included in the 100 New Fashion Designers book by Hywel Davies, an international snapshot of contemporary fashion design and the strongest young fashion designers that create it.
Gavin Douglas garments have become synonymous with luxurious high glamour aesthetics fused with feminine shapes and sophistication. http://www.gavindouglasfashion.com [email protected]
Alan Sharman
Alan Sharman Agency was established in 2007. Owner Alan Sharman has had over twenty years’ experience within the industry and is well respected by his peers. The Agency represents Models, Actors and Children of all ages for fashion and commercil photography, fashion shows, presentations and fittings, television / walk-on, promotional work and voice over bookings. The Agency prides itself on a friendly and personalised service, working alongside their Clients to fulfil their creative requirements.
http://www.alansharmanagency.com
Lizzy Gardner
Gardner is the midland based Fashion Stylist and Journalist. Her growing list of credits includes commercial and editorial fashion shoots, e-commerce and personal styling. A freelance Fashion Journalist, she also currently writes editorials for both menswear and womenswear.
Website: www.lizzygardner.com
Jason Forrest
Jason Forrest is a highly skilled visual merchandiser manager who has played a crucial role in leveraging the ultimate in-store experience for luxury and premium brands throughout Europe for over a decade.
His ability to create eye-catching and enticing displays that sum up the values and aspirations of a brand can clearly be sourced back to this time as he first graduated from sales to a visual merchandising position at Harvey Nichols. This opportunity provided a great launch pad from which to progress to his current standing, namely one of the most sought after visual merchandisers in the business.
By concentrating on the fast-changing dynamics of men’s/women’s fashion and successfully combining this with his natural instincts for creating fantastic visual creations, Jason was able to break into additional areas including project and cost management as well as external marketing and public relations.
Jason went onto work as visual merchandiser for Burberry's Bond Street and Knightsbridge stores, Birmingham's House of Fraser and banches of luxury shoe marker bally throughout the UK, France and Germany and Karen Millen’s head office in Central London. This allowed him to further embed and develop his skills in this area by working on major project and store launches, consistently providing strategic, commercial and most importantly, creative input that ensured the retailer not only retained, but improved on its market positioning.
Jason Forrest
Website: www.JCForrest.com
Vivienne Whelan
Self-taught fashion designer, Vivienne Whelan, has enjoyed great success with her own vintage inspired label since her appearance on TV’s Project Catwalk. Warwickshire based Vivienne has already added celebrity names to her list of clients and enjoys taking inspiration from the glamour of past to create unique evening and wedding dresses which flatter and enhance the figure of the woman. http://www.viviennewhelan.co.uk/
Alexis Knox
London based freelance fashion stylist Alexis Knox works as freelance fashion stylist on runway shows, music videos commercial projects and fashion editorials. She has appeared in front of and behind the camera for shows such as T4’s New Look Style the Nation, Britain’s Next Top Model, MTV and BBC. Alexis is also editor of Notion Magazine and holds the position of Fashion Director. Alexis has styled shows in London, New York, Milan as well as events such as The Clothes show Live held at the Birmingham NEC and produced and styled shows for international clients like Vauxhall Motors and Sunday Time Style.
http://www.alexisknox.com/Alexis_Knox_About.html
