A special catwalk event to showcase student collections and seasonal styles is coming to Chester as part of CH1ChesterBID’s Style in the City campaign.

CH1ChesterBID, in partnership with the University of Chester, is to host an evening of glamour as The Grosvenor Hotel is transformed into a runway.

The city’s Business Improvement District (BID) has teamed up with the University of Chester as well as a selection of high street and boutique retailers to host an exclusive ticket-only catwalk event, which takes place on Wednesday, June 14.

The style spectacular will feature fashion design graduates from the university who will showcase their glamorous collections on a specially created runway in the Grosvenor Hotel’s prestigious Westminster Suite. Professional models will also showcase a range of seasonal garments and inspirational style trends that are available in the city centre.

Marketing manager at CH1ChesterBID, Julie Charlton, said: “We really want to showcase what’s on offer for fashion and beauty lovers in Chester city centre.

“We have such a huge range of boutique and high street brands and our Style in the City campaign will really put them into the spotlight. I look forward to seeing our models strut their stuff and show off the latest fashion favourites available in Chester.

“The catwalk event will be a real show-stopper as part of our month-long Style in the City campaign, so be sure to head into the city centre to feast your eyes on the latest styles and trends.”

The show will feature collections by the first ever cohort of fashion students from the university. It is the culmination of three years of hard work by the students who are also the first year to graduate from this programme.

Student Kathryn Crank said: “Following the completion of the course I hope to set up my own label, which will consist of both menswear and children’s wear. I also plan to continue to design knitwear, a skill that I have learnt whilst studying at Chester.

“My current collection, which was developed during my third year for autumn/winter 2017, is functionally led with strong sports elements and a military concept which translates to include knitted pieces.”

Beki Phillips said: “I applied for the fashion design degree in March 2013 after receiving a sewing machine as a gift a few years previously. I began sewing for my then two-year-old daughter and wanted to take my skills further and learn elements of pattern cutting and manufacturing. In the first two years, I produced children’s wear collections and in my final year I have produced an androgynous collection, aimed primarily at women from a ‘fit’ perspective with key pieces that could be tailored towards men and women.”

Shaheena Shaikh is showing her first collection, SansAwWi2017, which she describes as a ‘fashion fusion of East and West’. Shaheena has picked inspiration from Indian Ethnic wear saree and from the West inspiration comes from urban sportswear and more formal outerwear.

She said: “To create this well balanced collection every small detail has been considered, fabrics are embellished and the collection is underpinned with a bold use of surface print inspired by Indian mythology and gods. The colour palette has mixed bright colours with more sombre tones.

“The collection is aimed at independent women between 20 and 35-years-old, who are bold and experimental with their looks and fashion.”

Programme leader for fashion design at University of Chester, Delphine Wilson, added: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside CH1ChesterBID to celebrate a new fashion and lifestyle event in Chester. The catwalk show is a fantastic opportunity for our latest fashion design graduates to showcase their design creativity in context, alongside major fashion brands.

“Our fashion course requires students to demonstrate a real passion and dedication to the industry and the group have worked incredibly hard to design and produce their own individual collections. This event is a great chance for them display their work to the public, so we hope people will come along on June 14 and support our graduate designers.”

The event will be held at the Grosvenor Hotel on Eastgate Street, with shows taking place at 5pm and 8pm. Tickets cost £10 for standard entry and £15 for VIP with guaranteed front row and a goody bag with over £20. Tickets can be purchased here.

Brands showcasing their collections include: Jigsaw; Laundry B; Tessuti and Hugo Boss on Bridge Street; Marks and Spencer on Foregate Street and Jack Wills on Eastgate Street.

Accessories for the models will be provided by Accessorize on Eastgate Street.

Make-up artists will also be attending the show, using brands from Boots on Foregate Street, including No7, Benefit, Clarins, NYX, Max Factor and Bare Minerals. Stylists from Andrew Collinge hairdressing salon will also be on hand to glam up the models on the night.