Biography

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Colleen was just 10 years old when she decided she wanted to pursue a career in fashion.  Always passionate about drawing and design, she engaged in her art as a form of escapism.

Colleen has a strong personal connection with photography and the feeling that is evoked when capturing the effects of light. For her, they symbolise a purity of belief and sense of wonder. Through experimentation with materials and textiles, Colleen communicates the effects that light can have on the body.

Colleen graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art with a First Class degree, and went on to show her graduate collection at Graduate Fashion Week, 2014. It was here she achieved the David Band Textile Award and was subsequently nominated for the Scottish Fashion Awards, where she won the Fashion Graduate of the Year.

How the Award Helped

Colleen received a Dewar Arts Award to support her experimentation in design, whilst studying an MA in Womenswear Fashion at the Royal College of Art.

“I want to further explore capturing beauty and feeling of wonder through my designs, to create garments that represent me and my faith.”