Ren Pearce
Ren Pearce graduated with an MA in Fashion Design from Central Saint Martins in 1991, having previously moved to the capitol to work for John Galliano at his London atelier in Fulham. He went on to co-found Pearce Fionda with Andrew Fionda in 1994.
After a first catwalk show as a part of the British Fashion Council’s New Generation collective during London Fashion Week, immediate success followed. The order books were filled with international luxury retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks 5th Avenue, Joyce, Lane Crawford and Neiman Marcus. At home, Harrods, Selfridges and Liberty’s of London bought the entire collection. Liberty’s also devoted all of its storefront windows to showcase the collection and hosted the second catwalk show in-store the following season.
Recognition through numerous industry awards followed. The BKCEC Newcomers to Export award, in 1995, was shortly followed by New Generation Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. Later the same year, the International Apparel Federation awarded the Young Designer of the Year at their global event in Istanbul.
1996 saw a nomination for Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, followed by winning Glamour Designer of the Year for 1997.
Following the success of the mainline collections, the Pearce Fionda diffusion line was launched in Debenhams department stores in 1997 under the ‘Designers at Debenhams’ umbrella, delivering affordable designer wear to the high street. A great commercial success, this partnership continued for the subsequent two decades.
Maintaining close links with fashion education over the years has been a passion and has led to many collaborations with both universities and professional bodies.
Ren has taught at numerous UK Universities, including Central Saint Martins, Royal College of Art, London College of Fashion, Brighton and Nottingham University and is currently lecturing at the Arts University Bournemouth.
Working closely with the British Fashion Council, in conjunction with Anne Tyrrell and Skillset, numerous workshops and a series of college lectures were undertaken to promote excellence in design through pattern-cutting methodology.
This led to a collaboration with Central Saint Martins and Toni Tester on the post-graduate course promoting designer pattern cutting, aimed at both graduates and professionals alike, for many years.
SPIRAL CUTTING, a method developed by Ren during his MA at CSM, a form of accurate pattern manipulation to create a block suited to bias cut garments, has been the focus of developing a discipline that can be applied to all garment types. This method creates an innovative approach to designer pattern making and has been featured in many lectures and demonstrations over the years.
The opportunity to be involved at HASOU Fashion Academy continues his commitment to delivering assistance and inspiration to the next generation of creatives.
