Students at Coventry School of Art and Design have put their creative skills to good use ahead of this year’s University Degree Show.

Snow Leopard costume created and designed by Illustration and Graphics students at Coventry School of Art and Design.

Eleven students in the final year of the BA Illustration and Graphics course have designed and created animal mascot costumes to sell in preparation for the show, which runs throughout spring and summer.

The students’ hand crafted costumes, similar to furry football mascots seen at clubs across the country, have attracted the attention of a number of buyers and are fetching up to £1000 a piece. The money raised from the sale of the costumes will help the students fund their own promotional activities as part of the Degree Show and will cover additional costs like extra materials and furnishings for their exhibitions.

The annual Degree Show offers undergraduates in a range of disciplines from the aforementioned illustration and graphics to automotive design, media production, fashion, performing arts, photography and the visual arts, the opportunity to display their best work to the public at locations around the University’s city centre campus and at selected sites across London.

As well as offering a platform to showcase work to interested buyers and potential employers, the Degree Show also highlights how the next generation of artists and designers are shaping up to meet the challenges of a fast-paced and ever changing creative sector.

Professor Martin Woolley, associate dean of Coventry School of Art and Design, said: “The Degree Show always marks an exciting time of the year for our students and they are working flat out to prepare for what promises once again to be a wonderful event.

“The students put so much work into the show and their fundraising efforts are testimony to their commitment. It’s great to see them applying their creative skills in this way and the approach they’re taking is very much in keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit of the University.

“The bespoke costumes that these Illustration and Graphics students have created have sparked a great deal of interest and present a potentially great business opportunity in the future.   In the meantime, the proceeds the students receive from selling the costumes will help them to put on a great show both for the public and for prospective employers.”

Coventry University’s Degree Show 2013 takes place at venues across Coventry and off-site in London during the spring and summer months. Full details of events leading up to and during the show, along with locations and dates will be released shortly.

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