Tamara offers fashion fix

Student Tamara Joseph is displaying her designs at the Four Seasons Couture Fashion Show at The Public, in West Bromwich, on Friday, April 23 2010 at 7pm.

The event, organised by ITV Fixers, is to raise funds for UNICEF Haiti Earthquake Children Appeal.

Tamara is studying a Masters in Fashion and Textiles and is also a Senior Fashion Technician at the School of Art & Design.

The 34-year-old is launching her own business, called Tamara Joseph, with help from the University’s Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education West Midlands (SPEED WM) programme.

She has designed a new collection based around her photography prints on a classic 1940s cut dress - but with a modern twist.

Tamara, from Bearwood in Birmingham, said: “Taking part in the fashion show is a fantastic opportunity to showcase my work. It's a great way for me to see the true demands of a business, such as sticking to deadlines and financing.

“Being on the SPEED programme has allowed me to take more risks and get more involved with opportunities in fashion design. I want to work mainly in men’s wear fashion, and I am currently working on a tailoring collection with fantastic prints as lining or detailed printed trims on the shirts. I have not limited myself to just menswear though, and most of the fashion shows I am entering are requesting women’s wear.

“I create the images through photography to print, and to make them more interesting, I manipulate them either in texture or using Computer Aided Design. I also offer a memories service, where the customer brings me their chosen image or photo and I make or customise their garments with their keep sakes.”

The Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education West Midlands (SPEED WM) programme enables entrepreneurial students to set up their own businesses whilst they are studying.

The aim of the fashion show is to promote creative fashion talent around the West Midlands. Students from the University’s BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile course will also be helping backstage. For further details, visit www.talentcasa.com

For more information about SPEED, visit www.wlv.ac.uk/speed

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Vickie Warren in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736

Picture: One of Tamara Joseph’s dresses

For more information please contact Vickie Warren in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736