A young Gorey-born fashion design student has taken the fashion world by storm after being named joint-winner of the L’Oréal Professional Creative Award (with Ondrej Adamek) for the best collection at Central Saint Martin’s MA graduates fashion show held at London Fashion Week.

Michael Power, (24), who is a student at the National College of Art and Design, has been featured in all the leading fashion magazines and has been tipped as “Another rising Irish fashion star to watch.”

“I don’t mind sharing the award at all. Only 11 students out of a class of 23 were selected to show their collections on the catwalk, so that’s prize enough,” said Michael, who grew up in the Clonattin area of Gorey.

“Winning the award was just a very pleasant surprise and a big honour!”

Michael’s amazing London success – the first ever by an Irish student – will stand out on his CV: “a handcrafted women’s wear collection, in which glass beads were intricately trapped between the layers of tulle, the inspiration drew from a combination of American Hopikachina dolls with their colourful patterning and the ‘juggaloos’, a sub-culture fan base hip hop group.”

Full story in THE GOREY ECHO this week.