Holly Fulton is nominated for an emerging talent award at the event on Wednesday The 32-year-old said winning would be a “perfect end” to a whirlwind 12 months that has seen her show her first collection and win the Young Designer of the Year Award at the Scottish Fashion Awards.
But the designer, who splits her time between Edinburgh and London, said she had one piece of advice to her pupils at ECA with big dreams in fashion: go south.
“They still have to, to be honest,” she said. “There is no money put into fashion design up here. It’s really underfunded. I see it as a designer and as a tutor. I see a class of designers who are going to graduate soon and there is no support for them. Fashion design is not funded at all in Scotland. But it does you good spending time in London. It is a huge capital compared with Edinburgh. Even if you don’t like it, have the experience.”
Fulton is nominated for her jewellery, bags and glasses. She said the bold shapes and colours of art deco, Bauhaus, and pop art had all influenced her style. She cites fellow Edinburgh-born artist Eduardo Paolozzi as a major influence.
Prior to teaching fashion at ECA, Fulton studied there until 1999.
