Ellie Brooks and Lydia Crook are among 15 students from across the UK who will be showcasing their designs at the final of the annual graduate fashion competition organised by Fashion Awareness Direct in London on March 15th.  | | Lydia's short-listed design |
It's a big achievement for the girls who were short-listed after submitting a sketchbook of ideas to the competition organisers last year. At first, both girls couldn't quite believe they'd been chosen. Ellie describes the moment she found out: "I found the letter at home but couldn't take it in properly. I got really excited and then thought, 'but what if I read it wrong!' I had to read it about four times to make sure!" The young designers were given a brief to work from which was inspired by the Russian cities St Petersburg and Moscow and the ballet company Russes. In order to keep up with their college work, they decided to merge this brief with their college project which was based on the work of a famous designer of their choice.  | | Ellie's finished garment |
This presented the students with an extra challenge but it also had its upsides as Ellie explains: "Lydia chose Alexander McQueen and I chose Helmut Lang which is probably why we managed to get our own slant on the competition brief." The main inspiration for Lydia's short-listed design was a quote from Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird. She created a dress with a corset bodice and full netted skirt in natural creams and dusky pinks with embroidered gems and beads. A rabbit fur-trim coat completes the look. Ellie's design is a two-in-one dress/coat. The garment has a very long train which can be pulled up and worn as a coat. She used organza together with metallic leather and muslin strips to create the dress and took her inspiration from Rasputin and the idea that all is not what it seems.  | | Lydia's finished gown and coat |
The girls have no say on how their work is presented within the show so they are looking forward to seeing how their designs look: "Seeing our stuff on the catwalk will be so amazing. They've got MAC doing the make-up and I think a big name like Caprice is doing the hair," says Ellie. Now that the hard work is over, all that is left is to look forward to the show, which takes place at the prestigious Delfina Studios in London, and await the judges' verdict. A judging panel chaired by Hilary Alexander, Fashion Editor of the Daily Telegraph will choose three winners who will receive cash prizes and work placements at leading fashion houses. It's an anxious time for Ellie and Lydia but as Lydia explains, it's also been a fantastic learning curve, "The competition has been an amazing experience so far and I've learned a huge amount, in particular about how a fashion show comes together. It's great being able to show my work and I'm looking forward to seeing my design coming down the catwalk."  | | Ellie and Lydia at work |
After having a slight glimpse of the high fashion world, Lydia is keen to begin a career in the industry: "At the moment fashion's so strong and it's something that I've always wanted to do. I definitely want to carry it on." Ellie is equally enthusiastic: "I think I want to do design and I definitely want to be in the fashion industry. I don't think I'll mind which area I end up in." | 
