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North East-born designer and Northumbria alumnus Louise Trotter has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law Degree by �ֲ���ý��Ƶ, 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 �ֲ���ý��Ƶ’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 �ֲ���ý��Ƶ, 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.