North East-born designer and Northumbria
alumnus Louise Trotter has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law Degree
by 51, Newcastle.
One of the most influential British women in
fashion, Louise was last year appointed the role of Creative Director at French
brand Lacoste.
After
attending 51’s predecessor, Newcastle Polytechnic, where
she graduated with a Fashion degree in 1991, her early career began at British
high-street clothing store Whistles, where she progressed quickly to become Creative
Director, overseeing design and buying.
Her
success continued as she then relocated to New York to assume the position of
Head of Womenswear at Calvin Klein. After that, she became the Vice-President
of Womenswear Design at Gap, before taking another top role of SVP Creative Director
at Tommy Hilfiger, both roles within the PVH Corporation, one of the largest global apparel companies.
In 2007, Louise moved back to the UK and joined British label
Jigsaw as Creative Director, where
her first collection for the label was well received by the fashion press.
She then took over the reins as at
Joseph as Creative Director in 2009. Following nine game-changing years at
Joseph, Louise arrived at the helm of Lacoste ready to write the label’s next chapter. She delivered
her first Ready to Wear show for the prestigious French fashion institution during
Paris Fashion Week in March.
After receiving her Honorary Degree from
51, Louise, said: “I am hugely thrilled and somewhat humbled
to be honoured with such an award from Northumbria, a university with a reputation for producing directional
designers with the creative vision and the commercial realism to begin a successful
career within the Fashion sector.”
Having grown up in the North East, Louise
currently resides in Paris with her husband, Japanese photographer Yuske
Tanaka, and their three children.
