Louise Collier, 20, a fashion design student from Cleveland College of Art & Design is runner-up in the 2011/12 David Nieper Fashion Academy competition – a national fashion design competition to find and award the very best young fashion designers for their talents in designing for women aged 50 and above.

After showcasing her latest collection down the catwalk during Cleveland College’s annual fashion show at Middlesborough Town Hall on Friday 25 May 2012, Louise was presented with her award and a cheque for £250 by Christopher Nieper, managing director of David Nieper.

As one of only a handful of fashion houses still designing and manufacturing all its womenswear in Britain for sale direct to customers across Europe, David Nieper will also be helping Cleveland College to develop its new BA Hons Fashion Design degree course as part of the company’s Fashion Academy initiative.

David Nieper’s MD, Christopher Nieper, said: “Louise’s entry had real commercial flair and she presented a really strong marketing plan. It is impressive that Cleveland College is instilling such confidence and ability in its students and Louise’s flair for designing for the end customer should be highly commended.”

Louise’s collection ‘Royally Yours’ was selected for its sympathy with the requirements of older women and its subtle adoption of the 2012 Royal theme. The collection included five garments aimed at fashionable and professional 50+ women and her entry was accompanied by a marketing strategy and plan to introduce and sell the collection direct to customers both on and offline.

As a winning college, Cleveland will now run its own internal fashion design competition, sponsored and supported by David Nieper. Students will also be attending an away day at David Nieper in October.

Karen Peacock, technical fashion lecturer from Cleveland College concludes: “This has been an amazing opportunity for the students to work with an established company still designing and manufacturing in Britain. It is great that David Nieper has created the Fashion Academy to get behind students to ensure skills for the future are continuing – this is at the forefront of the fashion industry. We were thrilled that Louise was crowned runner-up and we look forward to working with David Nieper in the forthcoming academic year.”

Commenting on the competition, Louise Collier, said: “The opportunity to visit David Nieper, as part of the competition process, was fantastic. I met some lovely people and gained an insight into how a successful company works in the UK.”

The David Nieper Fashion Academy was launched in 2010 to provide vocational and business skills training to support and encourage the fashion industry of the future. Offering practical experience in a live commercial environment, the company works closely with education and its local community to help answer the fashion industry’s SOS for skills and nurture homegrown talent.

For more information on David Nieper, visit: www.davidnieper.co.uk

More information on the David Nieper Fashion Academy competition can be found at www.fashionacademy.org