27 November 2025

Clarendon Sixth Form College students take part in design project with leading national eyewear brand.

Creative studies students at the college recently took part in an innovative project to design a series of glasses for Manchester based company Specscart, to give them real world experience in the creative industry.

Students were each tasked with designing a pair of glasses, which showcased something that they saw as a Manchester icon, whether that be the food, sport, music, architecture, culture or fashion, with a winning pair being selected by Specscart.

Tamsin Stringfellow, head of operations at Specscart, visited students at the college before the project began to deliver a brief and presentation. They then spent a month researching, finding inspiration and creating their design mock ups.

On Thursday 20th November, students and staff involved in the project were invited to Specscart’s head office in Bury for a prize giving presentation and tour of their flagship store. Caitlin Spink took first prize, winning £100 and the potential for her designs to go into production with the brand. Lauren Smith and Cyril Hoffman won runners up prizes of £50 each for their efforts.

Ryan Boulton, fashion and textiles teacher at Clarendon Sixth Form College, said: “This collaboration with Clarendon Sixth Form College and Specscart is about bringing the fresh, original and creative flair of our students into a real world commercial business. Not only does this give our students the chance to get real, hands on industry experience, but it also gives them an insight into how design intersects with manufacturing, fashion and eye health. I am very proud of all the students involved, they have done an amazing job and I’m sure that the project will really benefit them in their future careers.”

Tamsin, said: “Specscart is boldly different to every other UK optician and this competition is one way for us to bring innovation, fresh ideas and vitality to our fashion led glasses range. The students throughout the project have been very enthusiastic and during the launch of the project, quite a few came to speak to us to ask questions and look at the selection of frames we had brought along to gather inspiration. Everyone at Specscart was very excited to see their flair brought to life and they have surpassed all of our expectations.”

To find out more about courses at Clarendon Sixth Form College, visit www.clarendon.ac.uk or call 0161 908 6600.