Launching Project 0734 Student Competition with the London College of Fashion

We have launched a competition with the London College of Fashion entitled Cutler and Gross Project 0734. Final year students from across the college’s various courses will be given the opportunity to creatively reinvent and reinterpret the iconic Cutler and Gross 0734 frame using any creative medium from the world of design, photography or illustration.

The winner will be awarded a one-year paid work placement as our brand’s first ever Design Assistant, gaining first-hand experience of the inner-workings of a major international eyewear brand. The student will work alongside Cutler and Gross Design Director Marie Wilkinson. The shortlisted submissions will be presented to a celebrity panel of judges including Marie Wilkinson, British designer and Central Saint Martins graduate Jonathan Saunders, celebrity photographer Richard Young and London College of Fashion Head of College Frances Corner.

Meet the Panel

Marie Wilkinson, Design Director, Cutler and Gross

Marie Wilkinson’s love of glasses began with her first pair of spectacles at the age of eight, igniting a passion for eyewear that has resulted in a career spanning more than 30 years. She studied dispensing optics at City and East London College where she honed her skills in the central disciplines of optics and frame making.

Marie joined Cutler and Gross in 1981 and immersed herself in the world of bespoke eyewear, working with Mr. Cutler and Mr. Gross in conceptualising collections. She became the brand’s Design Director in 2001. Marie now heads up the creative team, creating each seasonal collection and controlling the licenses with Victoria Beckham, Maison Martin Margiela and Alberta Ferretti as well as designing our collaborative frames with Giles Deacon, Erdem and Pollini. Her unparalleled eye for detail, prolific design sensibility and love for handmade eyewear have allowed her to create several iconic collections for Cutler and Gross.

Designer Jonathan Saunders

Graduating from Central Saint Martins with an MA in Printed Textiles in 2002, Scottish born Jonathan Saunders went on to win the Fashion Enterprise Award at the British Fashion Awards. With his trademark silk screening techniques and bold colour palette, Saunders has showed his collection on schedule in London for nine seasons, moving his runway show to New York in 2008 while maintaining his role as Creative Director at Italian luxury brand Pollini. He has worked previously with Alexander McQueen, and Pheobe Philo at Chloe, and has created capsule collections with Topshop and U.S. brand Target.

Richard Young

Famed celebrity and documentary photographer Richard Young’s work has appeared in publications and exhibitions around the world. He has photographed Paul and Linda McCartney, Sting’s wedding to Trudie Styler and toured the country with the Sex Pistols. He has also published three books, By Invitation Only, PAPARAZZO!, and
Shooting Stars.

Frances Corner

Professor Frances Corner has been Head of College at London College of Fashion from October 2005, promoting LCF’s dedication to widening participation and commitment to research and employability. Frances has pioneered the adoption of sustainable and ethical practice into the fashion education curriculum, spoken at a number of high profile and international conferences on the subject, and contributed articles to a range of publications.

The students’ work will be shared across Cutler and Gross social media channels with the hashtag #CandGProject0734, as well as in the window of our 7 Knightsbridge Green vintage store and in the Cutler and Gross magazine.

We consistently support young, emerging talent collaborating with designers such as Erdem and Thomas Tait. The collaboration with the London College of Fashion allows Cutler and Gross to celebrate and explore new design routes adding the students’ fresh perspective and forward thinking aesthetic to the classic nature of our frames.