Fashion judging panel 2012
Our professional judges are from a number of fashion related disciplines and high profile industries including presidents of design councils, members of parliament, university head of fashion, retails stores director, fashion designer, upmarket visual branding, visual merchandising, and more…
Our judges include Jake Leith, Brighton University, Brighton & Hove Mike Weatherley MP, Claire Arksey Retail Operations REISS stores, Eve Reid Director Metamorphosis, Martin Mason CEO Lulu Guiness, Sarah Arnett Modern Love, Kate Hills Make it British and Alaistair Reid Red Design.
Judges 2012
Jake Leith
www.jakeleith.com
Jake Leith is currently President of the Chartered Society of Designers and Head of Business & Professional Practice for Fashion & Textiles ( and Design & Craft) at the University of Brighton. Past Chair of the CSD Fashion & Textiles Group. Jake and has over 20 years’ experience of successfully running his own design practice and 12 years as a teacher-practitioner.
02-jake-leith
Mike Weatherley
www.mikeweatherleymp.com
Mike Weatherley is the Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade and a huge supporter of the creative industries. Before Parliament Mike worked in the Music and Film Industries. Since his election, he has become a champion of Intellectual Property Rights for creative works and additionally paid particular attention to the promotion of local talent. Mike chairs at parliament the new APPG for retail and business crime.
He has joined the panel of judges in order to champion the work of those involved in the fashion industry in Sussex.
03-mike-weatherley
Eve Reid
www.metamorphosisgroup.co.uk
Eve Reid oversees the vision and direction for the Metamorphosis Group, working with leading International and National brands in the past and currently with a number of independent retail businesses across Sussex. Eve is a merchandising expert, specialising in Brand Evolution, Concept Design, and Visual Merchandising.
Claire Arksey
www.reissonline.com
Claire Arskey is Retail Director of Reiss overseeing the operational success of the business in both the UK and Europe. She has been art of the Reiss team for 5 years,with previous experience including Top Shop, GAP, and Ted Baker. Reiss is one of the only privately owned fashion retailers left on the British High Street and Claire is an integral part of the brand’s success. Claire understands the fundamental design DNA of Reiss adding to value to the process by ensuring commercial balance of the range.
Claire is passionate about local marketing and ensuring the Reiss brand becomes part of the fabric of the local community. She inspires and mentors upand coming design talent and young aspiring retailers and is particularly excited to be part of the panel for the First Sussex Fashion Awards 2011.
10-claire-arksey
Martin Mason
www.luluguinness.com
Martin Mason, CEO & Managing Director Lulu Guinness.
Martin joined Lulu Guinness in February 2009 after positions at Mulberry, Pringle of Scotland and John Smedley, well known British heritage brands. He has since gained experienced in licensing products and currently working heavily with Japan and Korea on behalf of Lulu Guinness and with Indian and South American development clearly in his sights.
Alastair Reid
www.red-design.co.uk
Alastair Reid has been Managing Director of Red Design for the last 5 years. Established in 1996, Red produces high quality, still, moving and interactive design, art direction and branding. Alastair is passionate about using creativity as a tool to connect innovative and interesting organisations and brands to their goals. During his time at Red, Alastair has worked with organisations diverse as Bottletop, Universal Music, Playstation, The Barbican, Fondation Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Apple, Disney, The Élysée Palace, MTV, and Sussex based UNION.
Sarah Arnett
www.saraharnett.co.uk
Graduating from Brighton University, Sarah has over the last ten years built a strong distinctive and beautiful print company including fashion garments and accessories, the current range ‘Modern Love’ featuring at Liberty of London and sold through global outlets.
Kate Hills
www.makeitbritish.co.uk
On leaving Middlesex University, where she received a first class degree in fashion, Kate Hills launched her own clothing brand, one of the first ethical clothing companies in the UK. When the business folded, due to what she says was ‘a bit of naivety and a lot of bad luck’, she went to work as a designer for numerous big name companies, including Burberry and Marks & Spencer. Finding that she was better with the numbers than the sketches, she moved into buying and spent ten years travelling the world developing products for the High Street. Becoming disillusioned with fast fashion and low quality, she packed it all in to set up Make it British, a website which champions British manufacturing and supports designers that want to make their products in the UK.
Fashion judging panel 2011
Our professional judges are from a number of fashion related disciplines and high profile industries including members of parliament, university heads of fashion, retails stores director, press and media, with backgrounds in design, manufacturing, retailing/e-tailing.
Our judges included Jake Leith, Brighton University, Brighton & Hove Mike Weatherley MP, Claire Arksey Retail Operations REISS stores, Eric Musgrave, former editor of Drapers.com, Bethania Matheus of BM Models, Frances Tobin professional colourist, Claire Wallace, editor of ETC magazine, Rachel Boyle and Dawn Gracie of ABC magazines.
The first Sussex Fashion Awards public nominations closed during February 2011.
The finalists were announced during May 2011.
Judging took place over the summer.
The Winners were announced 16 September 2011.
Judges 2011
Jake Leith
www.jakeleith.com
Jake Leith is currently President Elect of the Chartered Society of Designers and Head of Business & Professional Practice for Fashion & Textiles ( and Design & Craft) at the University of Brighton. Past Chair of the CSD Fashion & Textiles Group. Jake and has over 20 years’ experience of successfully running his own design practice and 12 years as a teacher-practitioner.
02-jake-leith
Mike Weatherley
www.mikeweatherleymp.com
Mike Weatherley is the Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade and a huge supporter of the creative industries. Before Parliament Mike worked in the Music and Film Industries. Since his election, he has become a champion of Intellectual Property Rights for creative works and additionally paid particular attention to the promotion of local talent. Mike chairs at parliament the new APPG for retail and business crime.
He has joined the panel of judges in order to champion the work of those involved in the fashion industry in Sussex.
03-mike-weatherley
Rachel Boyle and Dawn Gracie
www.abcmag.co.uk
Rachel launched ABC Magazine Sussex in 1996 when her first son was born and she realised there was a huge lack of local information readily available to parents. That was a gap she felt able to fill and it was soon apparent parents all across the county felt the need for such a publication as ABC Magazine which very quickly became known as the ‘Sussex parenting bible’.
As the business grew, Rachel soon needed help so took on a dynamic sales person by the name of Dawn and between them, often with their four young children by their side, worked relentlessly to ensure ABC’s success. The cornerstone of the publication is the balance between advertising and well written generic editorial making it both entertaining and informative; packed with great competitions, all sorts of facts, figures and very useful local information. All manner of child-related issues are covered, as well as adult interests such as: health, beauty, homes, gardens, employment and finance.
07-rachel-and-dawn
Frances Tobin
www.francestobin.com
Since graduating in textile design from Brighton and the Royal College of Art, Frances has worked as a design & colour consultant in many areas of design including fashion, textiles, interiors and architecture. She advises on consumer trends in colour, the effects of colour and their appropriate use; developing colour palettes for fashion collections, product ranges and the built environment.
04-francis-tobin
Bethania Matheus
www.bmmodels.co.uk
Bethania Matheus is the founder and director of the Brighton based modeling agency BM Models. After a successful career as a professional model she has been directing, choreographing and producing fashion shows for over ten years. She is involved with the Sussex Fashion community running BM Models providing models and creative services to the South East.
12-bethania-matheus
Claire Wallace
www.etcmag.net
Clare Wallace is the editor of etc, a monthly glossy lifestyle magazine which is distributed in prestigious outlets all over Sussex
Originally an interior designer for Osborne & Little, she then entered the world of magazines as a stylist and writer becoming Decorating Editor at Country Homes & Interiors and subsequently a freelance writer for several national magazines.
Claire Arksey
www.reissonline.com
Claire Arskey is Retail Director of Reiss overseeing the operational success of the business in both the UK and Europe. She has been art of the Reiss team for 5 years,with previous experience including Top Shop, GAP, and Ted Baker. Reiss is one of the only privately owned fashion retailers left on the British High Street and Claire is an integral part of the brand’s success. Claire understands the fundamental design DNA of Reiss adding to value to the process by ensuring commercial balance of the range.
Claire is passionate about local marketing and ensuring the Reiss brand becomes part of the fabric of the local community. She inspires and mentors upand coming design talent and young aspiring retailers and is particularly excited to be part of the panel for the First Sussex Fashion Awards 2011.
10-claire-arksey
Eric Musgrave
www.ericmusgrave.co.uk
Eric Musgrave pioneered the launch of male (fashion) magazines building a title to be one of the world’s most successful men’s consumer titles ever throughout the ‘90’s, FHM. He became editorial director of the UK’s leading fashion business weekly magazine, Drapers, until 2006, when he has since been leading fashion magazines in the Netherlands and in Italy, and has been a regular commentator on fashion retailing issues on TV and radio, as well as Director of UKFT until recently.
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The Judging Procedure
More than 700 nominations were received for the first Sussex Fashion Awards 2011. A shorlist of nominees were announced May 2011. The Award winners announced 16 September 2011.