LONDON — Martens, meet Martins.
British footwear brand Dr. Martens is opening its “All Access Summer” campaign to the students of renowned fashion school Central Saint Martins.
The collaboration is to showcase the diverse range of design talent at the school, which counts many household names as graduates, including Phoebe Philo, Kim Jones, Alexander McQueen and many more.
The five chosen students have been picked out by the fashion program’s course director Fabio Piras and Dr. Martens creative director Darren McKoy. The brand donated money to the course and provided each student with a financial bursary to help execute their ideas.
The brief, set by McKoy, was to translate the theme of “All Access Summer” to each student’s taste with a rebellious element incorporated into it to represent the brand, which became a staple among youth subcultures in ’70s Britain.
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“Creativity and community are core values of Dr. Martens, which is why there is such a natural synergy between the brand and the incredibly talented students of CSM. We are so proud to partner with this powerhouse of originality and imagination shining a light on designers who have traveled from around the world to hone their craft in London,” McKoy said in a statement.
The end product will be debuted on 1 Granary, a platform created by CSM students in 2012 to help spotlight the university’s talent.
“My role as course director is to shape students to be critical and resilient, whilst believing in their creativity and talent. That’s why we’re here, to continue learning and building the students’ portfolios, experience and inspiration, and long may it continue,” Piras said.
The students participating in the project include Francesca Lake from Kingston, Jamaica, whose work focuses on amplifying Caribbean stories; menswear designer Xuesong Yang from Inner Mongolia, China, the Oroqen Autonomous Banner, which is home to many nomadic people, and inspires Yang’s work; Jad Jreissati’s practice forges the relationship between fashion and aspiration; Northern Irish designer Lauren Patchett uses strictly deadstock to practice her colorful art, and Texan designer Jude Hinojosa, who takes takes preexisting traditionally male garments to mold it into something emotional.