King's Ely student crowned winner in national design competition

Eleanor (Nell) Kittoe, who is in Year 11 at King’s Ely Senior, was awarded first place in the ‘Eveningwear Teenage’ category of the 2023 Stitch Festival Dressmaking Competition, with her exquisite jacket. 

Nell was one of nine GCSE and A-Level Fashion and Textile Design students at King’s Ely to have their creations shortlisted in the category. 

Garments made by Nell, Rosa Snell, Kevin Meng, Phiona Loi, Kiki Tang, Disa Hellyer, Chloe Skoulding, Alexa Milne and Sayuri Okunushi all featured in the finalists' catwalk at the festival, which was held at London’s Business Design Centre. 

All shortlisted pieces were modelled on the catwalk by the student who made them or by their friends, before judges announced Nell’s garment as the winner. 

Nell Kittoe's winning garment. (Image: King's Ely)

Nell, who joined King’s Ely Junior in Year five, said: “I am so happy to have won! I felt proud to wear something that I had designed and created on the catwalk, although it was quite nerve-racking too. 

“I was nervous about damaging the piece but thankfully it was fine!” 

Nell’s jacket is mainly made of hessian potato sacks, and the design is inspired by oyster shells and seaweeds which caught her attention on a holiday to Ile de Re in France.  

Each student had to write a paragraph of information about the garment they had produced, including the use of both creative and technical processes, and they had to provide photographs documenting their pieces. 

This year’s Stitch Festival took place from March 23-26; judges included David Morrish of Kingfly Embroidery, hand knit designer Jeanette Sloan, Josie Hawes, founder of Fabric Godmother, and Elisalex de Castro Peale, co-founder of By Hand London. 

In 2022, John-Oswald Crichton, who was in Year 13 at King’s Ely at the time, won the same category as Nell.