The widely acclaimed Merit Award was chosen by a panel of industry experts who have extensive experience in working with and promoting new talent, including Vogue.com, Grazia and Not Just A Label.
This award gives the winner a fully sponsored catwalk show and exhibition space at Vauxhall Fashion Scout during London and Paris Fashion Weeks September - October 2011.
Sam Leutton and Jenny Postle are the creative talents behind luxury knitwear label Leutton Postle. Both graduates from Central Saint Martins, the design duo are set to make their highly anticipated catwalk debut during London Fashion Week this season.
Jenny Postle graduated from Central Saint Martins in February and her MA AW11 collection was quickly snapped up by leading boutique Browns Focus, garnering universal praise from the international fashion press.
Upon finishing her studies at Central Saint Martins, Sam Leutton moved to China to work with knitwear innovators Stoll. Her extensive work in knitwear production has lead to the invaluable bridging of the gap between the technical and the creative.
The new collaborative label represents a labour of love, a friendship and a shared creative vision that can be seen in the extraordinary attention to detail in each garment.
“To receive the Merit Award for our first season together is brilliant. We feel that it's a fantastic platform for new talent and it is positive the support Vauxhall Fashion Scout is giving to us, which is incredibly beneficial at these early stages. We are super excited. ”
Sam Leutton from Leutton Postle.
The cultural patch-work creations by Leutton Postle draw on a range of influences to create collections that are unlimited by trends. The design approach freely embraces riotous colour, unusual surface texture and rich pattern to create beautifully offbeat knits for women.
Each piece is handmade and aims to produce truly original couture-quality knitwear by pushing the boundaries of technique and design.
Martyn Roberts, Vauxhall Fashion Scout´s director commented as soon as the selection panel selected the winner “The Vauxhall Fashion Scout Merit Award is an internationally recognised launch pad for London’s most innovative designers, and Leutton Postle fit the bill perfectly. Their collections push the boundaries of fashion design and construction, creating the conceptually beautiful and challenging edge London is so famous for. We are really excited for their debut collection.”
They, as winners of this highly coveted, three-season Merit Award have been given the opportunity to showcase their collection at a high profile, fully sponsored show during London Fashion Week which will take place during London Fashion Week September 2011. The award also offers the winner access to a specialised mentoring programme which help them grow and develop a successful, sustainable business.
Congratulations Sam and Jenny! We hope this joint venture will be full of success and of awards.