Fashion: Top American model requests clothes created by Derby designer Amber-Louise Snow. A DERBY fashion designer has spoken of the "surreal" moment a top American model asked to borrow three of her outfits for a photo-shoot which appeared in a magazine. Amber-Louise Snow had scoured the internet for an e-mail address for Audrey Kitching to thank her for being an "inspiration and motivation" to her. So she was stunned when she received a response from Audrey with a request to ship the garments to New York, where she was taking part in a shoot for a fashion publication, called Ladygunn Magazine. Amber-Louise, 23, said: "Audrey asked if she and her team could pull my entire collection for a exclusive fashion editorial and fashion video for the magazine." Amber-Louise graduated from Birmingham City University with a Fashion Design BA (Hons) degree in June. Her final collection, called Dimensional Perfections, was based on challenging the stigmatisation of disabilities by using visual illusions. It features seven garments, including a pale pink dress and knitted jumper as well as a blue dress with a jersey top. And it was only after being encouraged by her partner, that Amber-Louise decided to send an e-mail to Audrey showcasing her collection. Amber-Louise said: "I"ve known about Audrey Kitching since I was about 10. She is a fashion blogger as well as a model and I always used to read her blog. "She is alternative and has pink hair. When I was going through my teenage years I used to mess around with my hair as well. I liked her because she was different. "When I started fashion designing, Audrey Kitching"s style was an inspiration to me so my partner said I should send her an e-mail. "I e-mailed her to say thank you and just to show her the collection that was inspired by her. "I attached two pictures and wrote one paragraph but I didn"t think any more of it." But to her surprise, Amber-Louise said Audrey e-mailed back "straight away" and they began exchanging messages. It was not until a few weeks later that the model asked to use the collection. Amber-Louise was then put in contact with Audrey"s PA and, after re-beading the items, they were shipped to New York. "I knew the date of the photoshoot but I kept thinking it could get called off," she said. "Then my friend commented on Instagram, asking if the pictures of Audrey were clothes I had designed and made." Since then, Amber-Louise said she had received numerous e-mails and inquiries regarding her collection. "From that point on, things just got really crazy for me. "Loads of people saw my work from the images Audrey had posted on her Instagram because she has 314,000 followers and I suddenly got lots of recognition." Amber-Louise is now working on more fashion creations. "I"m currently working on my new Avant Garde collection called No-Youth that will be launched later this month. "It is an eco-friendly collection inspired by British Youth culture and punk. "I am also intending to release some ready-to-wear casual clothing with a couture twist."
