Students making wetsuits

The Cornish coastal town of Falmouth and the wonderful and often whacky world of high fashion might seem an unlikely combination – but next week that is about to change.

Rhinestone-encrusted wetsuits and diving suits with high visibility panels that light up have been designed by women to perfectly hug the female form. Dressed with killer heels and sleek make-up for the show and photo shoots, these outfits might look like they lean more towards fashion than practical sportswear but many have been designed and water-tested by Stacey Penny, a keen surfer. The collections look sensational ‚ and they work.

Most of these highly individual collections have made full use of the state-of-the-art technical equipment within Falmouth‚ fashion department, such as laser cutting, ultrasonic welding, tape seaming, digital printing and fabric bonding technology.

The 30 students have worked on projects set by top names in design such as Luella Bartley, Finisterre, Speedo, Decathlon, Gul and Michael Stars LA.

Employing the creativity of stylist Susie Coulthard, who has worked with celebrities like The Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs and Dizzee Rascal and show producer Lucy Richards, who has worked on shows in London Fashion Week, the event is set to rival anything seen on the catwalks of established graduate fashion courses in the UK