UK students win Gore-tex experience
As part of Gore’s recent series of consumer competitions, two University of Falmouth, UK, students studying Performance Sportswear Design (PSD) have won the ‘build-your-own-jacket-with-Mammut’ competition. Lily Rice, who graduated last year and Owen Bennett, current in his second year, have won two of the four top prizes.
The competition, run as part of Gore’s social media campaign through Facebook, selected four winners from the 250 entrants across Europe as judged by both Gore and Switzerland-based Mammut Sports Group. Applicants were judged on design proposals to use Gore-tex fabric to create a jacket that would reflect their own personal lifestyle needs. They also had to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the design process and the craftsmanship needed to realise their design.
The successful pair, along with two winners from other countries in Europe, were flown to Switzerland at the end of February 2011 as part of an ‘Experience Tour’. They visited the Mammut headquarters to design their jacket in tune with Mammut fabrics and colours. In March 2011 they will be taken to Gore’s laboratory in Italy where the final steps in manufacturing the jackets will take place before finally heading out into the great outdoors to test them.
On hearing of his win Mr Bennett said: “I am very pleased to be selected to go the Experience Tour as it will give me a fantastic opportunity to put my design ideas into practice and to work alongside Gore and Mammut. I will get the chance to work with one of the best fabrics on the market as well as working with a top outdoor marque. The Swiss have a PSD graduate in their design team and it was good to meet up so I had real feedback on how commercial my designs are.”
Performance Sportswear Design course leader, Jane Gottelier, said: “Gore has changed its practice to allow a fourth winner, as the standard and volume of entries was so high. It demonstrates that our degree course is in tune with the industry’s leading voices.”
