A FORMER student at Warrington’s Priestley College has been honoured by the King for her entrepreneurial endeavours.
Isabelle Pennington-Edmead, who studied Textiles and Fine Art at Priestley College, was honoured at The King’s Foundation’s inaugural awards after starting her own fashion label.
She was presented with the Young Entrepreneur Award by actress Sienna Miller at a ceremony at St James’ Palace, London.
“This award not only validates the hard work and dedication I’ve put into my brand, but also significantly enhances my reputation,” said Isabelle.
“It underscores the importance of my commitment to ethical fashion and motivates me to continue pushing boundaries in the industry. This recognition will undoubtedly help my brand grow and reach a wider audience, reinforcing my mission to create sustainable and ethically-made womenswear.”
Around 250 guests were invited to the prestigious event – including foundation ambassadors David Beckham, Alan Titchmarsh, Sarah Beeny and Patrick Grant.
Guests were entertained by pipers from the National Piper Centre and the Rock Choir who regularly perform at Highgrove Gardens.
“For me, because of my fashion background, the highlight has to have been meeting and speaking to Edward Enninful and Naomi Campbell,” said Isabelle.
“Edward is my favourite Vogue editor of all time and has brought me so much inspiration during his time as editor of British Vogue. It was a real ‘pinch me’ moment when I saw they were in the room, and being able to speak to them was surreal.”
Isabelle, a former pupil at Bridgewater High School, is a graduate of The King’s Foundation’s Modern Artisan programme as well as Fashion at Nottingham Trent University and with a Masters in Textiles from Manchester School of Art.
She has been fascinated by fashion since childhood and said learning about the industry’s ethical and environmental issues inspired her to create a slow fashion brand.
Her brand is all about ethical womenswear, sustainable practices, fair labour, and creating high-quality, timeless pieces.
“It’s important for me to honour the craft of making clothing, especially with it being an undervalued trade that is female-dominated,” said Isabelle.
“This approach lets me work in the field I love while promoting respect for both people and the planet.”
This summer Isabelle will be launching a collection with Asos and has been investigating how to scale the brand in an ethical, environmentally-friendly way as well as source supply chains in Britain and Europe to keep the carbon footprint low.
“I definitely did always dream this big; I have always wanted my own fashion brand since I was a little girl, so I’m incredibly grateful that I’ve been able to make it happen,” she said.
“Meeting the King on multiple occasions and David Beckham were definitely not things I expected to happen along the way, though.”
