Art school graduate has designs on success after striking fashion deal
IT HAS honed the skills of some of the fashion industry’s most celebrated designers and propelled them into the spotlight.
Now, a young graduate from the Glasgow School of Art is to follow in the well-heeled footsteps of Pam Hogg and Jonathan Saunders after securing a job with two of the world’s leading fashion brands.
Jonathan Douglas, 24, has been signed up to work with Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein after graduating from the Glasgow institution.
Mr Douglas, from Balloch, will be relocating to Amsterdam at the end of August after impressing the firms with his design and business skills.
The news comes as he was one of more than 600 students to unveil his work for the GSA’S annual degree show, a highlight in the Scottish fashion calendar.
Mr Douglas, who showcased his Controlled Space collection at a press call for the show yesterday, said he was “absolutely thrilled” by the move.”
It caps a successful few weeks for the young menswear designer. Last month, he won the Top Man prize, a venture set up by the retailer to support graduate talent in partnership with the British Fashion Council.
As part of the prize, he was offered a 12-month internship, but after learning of the interest from Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, he has decided to move to the Dutch capital.
Mr Douglas will work for both brands in a two-year deal, first at Tommy Hilfiger for ten months, and then a further ten months at Calvin Klein.
He said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading brands and I hope it will allow me to express myself and learn even more about fashion. It’s overwhelming to have this chance, it’s been a whirlwind time.” Mr Douglas said he has always had a keen interest in fashion, but set his heart on it as a career three years ago after graduating in his first degree in marketing and business from the University of Strathclyde.
“I think I realised that I wanted to pursue something creative and I applied to the GSA” he said. “I was delighted when I was accepted and ever since, its sense of community has allowed me to develop as a designer.”
The GSA’S alumni includes some leading names in the world of fashion, such as Ms Hogg, one of the new wave of designers who emerged in the early 1980s.
She has gone on to forge a successful career spanning textiles, music and filmmaking, with her collections worn by pop stars such as Lady Gaga and Jessie J and supermodels including Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.
Mr Saunders, meanwhile, has won a host of awards including British Designer of the Year and Scottish Fashion Designer of the Year. Well-known figures such as Michelle Obama, Madonna and Kylie Minogue are among those to have worn his work.
The GSA’S annual undergraduate degree show takes place from tomorrow to 20 June.