AUDIENCES at Oxford Fashion Week will marvel at the beauty of the models but what about the faces behind the clothes?

One of Oxford’s newest designers is Chloe Mellen, who is creating the jewellery for one of the week-long fashion event’s runway shows.

The 21-year-old’s work will be featured in the Independent Collections show at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, next Friday.

This is a big moment for Miss Mellen, who creates high-end jewellery in her garage in Headington.

She only launched her career four months ago after graduating from Central St Martins art school in London.

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She said: “It’s really great to be involved with Oxford Fashion Week.

“I would like to widen my business in Oxford and then branch out.

“This will be a great chance to network and make connections, as well as showing my work off.”

It was Oxford Fashion Week director and friend Tiffany Saunders who asked her to be involved in the show, after first modelling the collection in London.

Six models will wear her jewellery in the show, from her graduate collection Perception of Time.

The former European School pupil said: “Originally I was just going to have a few mannikins in the entrance, but now I have six models on the runway.

“I’ve gone with very basic black and white dresses to focus on the necklaces which I designed.

“I’ve chosen six of my largest pieces, which will hopefully look best on the runway.

“A lot of the work is designed to be looked through or played with — they’re quite big and I like to work with metal and leather.”

She added: “It’s nice to be doing something in my hometown.

“So much of the art and fashion focus is in London and it’s great to be doing something outside of that.”

Miss Mellen first entered the fashion world aged just 13 as a model, but quickly changed direction.

She said: “When I was about 17 I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore. I wanted to be behind the camera. Originally I wanted to do a fashion course but first you have to do a foundation course where they make you try lots of different things.

“My dress was awful, horrendous. But the best thing about it was the collar, which I spent hours and hours doing beadwork and things on.

“After that my tutors suggested that I look at jewellery.

“I’m so glad I did. I’m happiest in the workshop, it’s more hands-on, more manual, more honest.”

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