Designs on a win at Yorkshire Show for talented Charlotte

3:14pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

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A fashion designer from Norton has reached the final six in this year’s Yorkshire Fashion Idol competition.

The winner of the contest, which attracted entries from all over the region, will be announced at the Great Yorkshire Show, which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary.

It takes place at the showground from Tuesday, July 8 to Thursday, July 10, and the hundreds of attractions include international showjumping, thousands of animals and the Great Yorkshire Wheel. Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will also visit the show on the final day.

Hoping to take the title of Yorkshire Fashion Idol 2008 is Charlotte Barker of Leahurst Close, Norton, with a dress inspired by North Yorkshire’s strong horse-racing traditions and her father’s former career as a jockey.

Featuring a high waistline and short pencil skirt in country-style wool, it has full pleats and flaps from the waistline with a brightly coloured underside, reminiscent of jockey’s silks. The ruffles on the front were inspired by dressage rosettes.

Charlotte, 21, is currently in the final stages of an HND in fashion design at York College and has always had a keen interest in fashion.

“My granddad was a tailor and both my grandmothers sewed. I mainly picked up my skills at school, in textiles classes,” she said.

“Mum always had issues with my clothes when I was younger – she’d put something out for me to wear and I’d change it! “Winning Yorkshire Fashion Idol would be such a great kick-start to a career in the fashion industry, which is what I want.

“My outfit is based on jockey and equestrian clothing – my dad raced for about 11 years, at York, Newmarket, Ripon, Beverley and many other tracks around the country. The design is very tailored to convey strength and attitude.”

All six shortlisted Yorkshire Fashion Idol contenders will have their designs professionally presented on the catwalk by models from the Louise Morton Model Agency during the three days of the Great Yorkshire Show. The winner will be announced on the final day.

Prizes include a place for up to 12 months in the prestigious Textile Centre of Excellence’s Design Incubation Unit in Huddersfield, where the winner’s new business will be nurtured and promoted.

In addition, the Louise Morton Model Agency will provide a leading model and stylist for the design’s first photo-shoot.

There is a cash prize of £500 from the Skipton Building Society and photographer Javan Liam of Harrogate will provide a portfolio of photographs.

John Warburton, of the Textile Centre of Excellence, said choosing the six finalists had been a very difficult task for the judges.

“Yet again we had some fantastic ideas submitted to us, and we certainly have some exceptionally talented young designers in Yorkshire – which can only be good news for the British fashion industry,” he said.

“We felt the final six really captured the spirit of Yorkshire in their designs and came up with outfits which will look great on the catwalk. Congratulations to them all – they’ve done brilliantly to get this far and we look forward to the final judging at the Great Yorkshire Show.”