When I saw that one of the options for the industry project on my course was designing a garment for the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, I really wanted to be involved. The idea of designing and producing an outfit that would be worn by an important public figure was really exciting to me,” said Ilektra from Athens, Greece but currently living in Carlton, Nottinghamshire. Ilektra first fell in love with costume design at the age of four when she asked her grandmother to teach her how to sew her own dress. Other elements the garment also needed to feature were a ‘Jabot’, which is an ornamental frill displayed at the front, cuffs and silver buttons which were sourced from a previous High Sheriff uniform. As a further link to Nottinghamshire, the shoes that go with the outfit were created by Nottingham textiles firm ‘ Footfalls and Heartbeats’.

Sharon Bainbridge, Senior Lecturer on BA (Hons) Costume Design & Making, said: “The final costume that Ilektra has created is fantastic and a real example of what good research, technical skills and collaboration can create. She should be proud that her work will be seen by so many different people across the next year.”

A large amount of the uniform was sewn by hand and the lead colour is synonymous with Nottinghamshire – a rich, dark green. NTU student Ilektra-Maria Charalampopoulou and the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire discuss the uniform that has been created For the future, Ilektra wants to stay in Nottingham as she really enjoys living in the city. She hopes to have a career in making costumes for film and TV and to continue turning her ideas into reality.

Ilektra-Maria Charalampopoulou, 26, based her design on a traditional, classical and elegant outerwear coat. The High Sheriff robe also features a 3D printed ‘Acorn Lace’ based on an antique lace sample from the Nottingham Lace Archive, which is based in the Bonington building at NTU. The lace features an acorn pattern symbolising the famous Great Oak tree in Sherwood Forest.NTU is the 5 th largest UK institution by student numbers, with nearly 39,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.