A BARRY fashion designer has won a raft of awards and had her work chosen to be sold by an international fashion label

Hannah Williams, a graduate in Fashion from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), has been announced as the selected designer for the Special MUUSE Prize.

Hannah, who has already won the Graduate Fashion Week Womenswear and Fashion Innovation Awards, displayed her ground-breaking silicone collection during London Fashion Week at Fashion Scout alongside the work of two other designers, Helen Lawrence and Renli Su.

This year MUUSE and Fashion Scout teamed up to award a special prize to one of the three designers: the opportunity to develop and showcase a capsule collection with MUUSE.

Former Bryn Hafren pupil Hannah, 22, said it felt “amazing” to have the opportunity for her work to be sold by the fashion designer MUUSE.

“It feels amazing to have been given this opportunity to develop my collection to a commercial level. MUUSE have developed and created some amazing collections, so I feel truly grateful to be a part of it.”

Her designs will be available online as well as in stores in London, Paris and Copenhagen.

Hannah, who grew up on The Pastures in Barry, added: “UCA has been a great journey in my pathway to becoming a designer and taught me the processes and techniques which I needed for a career in fashion. Since I began studying at UCA until graduation my outlook on fashion has totally changed. I genuinely believe they helped me understand myself as a designer and for that I am truly grateful.”

Hannah, who is set to start a Masters in Fashion at the Royal College of Art next week, hopes to run her own fashion label in the future.

“I want to work as part of a design team for a few years to get a bit of experience and understand how fashion design works,” she said.

Gitte Jonsdatter, co-founder of MUUSE, was captivated by Hannah’s graduating collection for its combination of interesting moulded shapes with innovative use of materials.

As the award winner, Hannah will develop a capsule collection with development, production, promotion, sales and distribution fully sponsored by MUUSE.

The collection will then be showcased at a future Fashion Scout during London and Paris fashion weeks, and sold as ‘Hannah Williams by MUUSE’ on www.muuse.com.

Steven Dell, Fashion course leader at UCA, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Hannah has also won the Special MUUSE Prize at Fashion Scout’s Ones to Watch - she is such a talented and highly creative designer, who has certainly earned this very prestigious accolade.

“I believe this award is in recognition of Hannah's use of pioneering techniques and unconventional materials, which she has used sympathetically to create a very wearable but groundbreaking womenswear collection constructed out of molded silicone in delicate pastel shades.

“To win the Special MUUSE Prize in addition to winning the 'Best Womenswear Award' and 'Fashion Innovation Award' at Graduate Fashion Week in June 2013 is an amazing achievement for Hannah and has certainly helped to establish herself as a creative designer to watch in the future."