UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 17 OCTOBER 2019
BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing – Design for Industry student Abigail Burvill has won the Accessory Designer of the Year Award at the Midlands Fashion Awards for a collection inspired by bugs and beetles.
Abigail’s collection, which included a wing brooch, horn necklace and a kinetic beetle, beat other fashion-related accessories such as shoes, handbags and scarves to bag the prize at the Award Ceremony held at the CBSO Centre on Friday.
The Awards, which are judged by a panel of industry professionals, bring together the region’s best fashion and accessory designers, make-up artists, fashion stylists and fashion and beauty photographers. The Awards have been running for 12 years and are recognised as helping launch the careers of multiple budding designers.
Abigail graduated with a HND in Jewellery and Silversmithing earlier in the year and is now studying on the University’s BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing - Design for Industry course.
She said: “The Midland Fashion Awards team reached out to me, so I was pretty excited, since I had just been awarded the Jewelcast Castings award at the School of Jewellery award ceremony at the end of the module.
“I thought, why not present the work I had just created in an organic layout with bench pegs? I wanted to keep this collection of work true to how it was presented at the school, allowing the work to speak for itself.
“These pieces were inspired by five horned rhino beetles. The earrings resemble the side of the beetles' head, with Baltic amber set in the middle, a wing brooch, a horn necklace and ring, and of course the kinetic beetle itself, which can be worn as a double band ring, then when you bend your finger the wings move just like the real beetle! There are sapphires set down the back to add some sparkle and glamour to this piece.
See more of Abigail’s work on her Instagram page.