Tintwistle student wins Manchester-inspired glasses competition 

Students at Clarendon Sixth Form College have showcased their creativity in a unique design project run by Manchester-based eyewear company Specscart.

The competition gave students the chance to work on a real industry brief, challenging them to design a pair of glasses inspired by Manchester’s culture, heritage and identity, from its music and football clubs to iconic buildings and world-famous foods. 

After reviewing entries from dozens of art & design, fashion, graphics, photography, animation and media students, college staff shortlisted six young designers of tomorrow. 

The winners were announced at a nail-biting final held at Specscart’s Bury headquarters, with Caitlin Spink taking first place and Lauren Smith and Cyril Hoffman as runners-up. 

16-year-old Caitlin, from Tintwistle, created a portfolio featuring Manchester’s Chinatown, urban graffiti art and the Manchester bee as inspiration. She said: “I was really surprised to win but so proud. I started my designs with sketches in pencil and then used Adobe Illustrator to turn them into digital images. I did lots of research online for the designs and it took me about eight to ten hours to finish the project.” 

The brief invited students to celebrate everything that makes Manchester great - from artists like LS Lowry, designers such as Matthew Williamson, iconic foods like Eccles cake and Bury black pudding, to music from Joy Division to Oasis - anything and everything that screams Manchester. 

Tamsin Stringfellow, Specscart’s head of customer service and business growth, who launched the Manchester Collection challenge in front of 100-plus eager sixth formers at the college in September, said: “Everyone at Specscart was blown away by the creativity, technical detail and imagination of all the finalists’ work. It was a tough call to narrow it down to just three winners but Caitlin’s entry really nailed some of the ingredients that make Manchester great and she is a very worthy winner.” 

Caitlin took home £100, with the runners-up receiving £50 each. Harry Arnold, graphic design teacher at Clarendon Sixth Form College, added: “All our students did themselves proud with the enthusiasm and passion they poured into their designs. Taking a tour behind the scenes at Specscart is also part of their learning – to see how design, fashion and creative endeavour translates into a successful real-world commercial business.” 

The competition also highlighted Specscart’s commitment to Manchester, with the company producing 300 pairs of glasses every day, very proudly made in Manchester by craftsmen with 100 years of spectacle making skills between them. 

Specscart has three bricks and mortar shops across Greater Manchester and a global online customer base of more than half a million across 132 countries.   

For more information visit www.specscart.co.uk