Jul 19 - Gail Howard Is This Year's Runway New Designer Competition Winner

Written by YGTV Team on 19 July 2016.

The winner for this year’s Runway new designer competition drew inspiration from the five most important women in her life.

Gail Howard said she was in complete shock but it was so worth it, adding that her hard work has really paid off.

For her collection called Adventures in Life, Gail said: “I had chosen the five women who have impressed me in my life and I’ve made an outfit for each of them that represents me of them and reminds me of them, so it’s very personal.”

The five women she focused her collection on were here sister Denise, her 10-year-old daughter Anna, Carmela who she described as “full of life”, and her sassy and chic friend Jo.

For her last piece, she based it on Eleanor, adding: “This is based on a girl, Eleanor, who is very close to my heart. She has autism, and that is why I have chosen all the colours and the sequins on the actual gown, in the colours that represent autism. I made it the last piece and I made it large because that’s how big she is in my life, and she is amazing, she has shown me so much in life that it helps you to forget all the little petty things, and I wanted to do this for her.”

Gail will show her collection at Gibraltar House during London Fashion Week in 2017.

The other entries for the new designer competition were a Flamenco and matador inspired collection by Kimberley Bautista and a modern take on classic tailoring by Emmy George, who chose yellow, grey and blue for her collection.

Judges Matthew Dowling from The Freelancer Club and Head Designer at Target Marie Phillipou said they enjoyed the fashion scene in Gibraltar, but struggled to make a decision until the last minute.

Mr Dowling said they felt Gail’s pieces worked together on the catwalk and the continuity of the work was in line with London has to offer as well.

The event held at King’s Bastion also featured collections from last year’s Runway new designer competition winner Gabriella Sardena, and local designer Poonam Rupani from Blingage Clothing.

International designers By Signe, Stewart Grays and Natalia Kau also presented their collection for the Gibraltarian audience.