Private School News

Designer is guest of honour at prizegiving at The King’s School, Ely

Top shoe designer Rupert Sanderson returned to Ely as guest of honour at the King’s School’s Senior School prizegiving in Ely Cathedral on Saturday 8 May.
He was a pupil at King’s for ten years, leaving in 1985 to study geography at Royal Holloway, London University. He told the audience of parents and pupils that his first love had always been art and he had been delighted to see the school’s newly opened £3.5m arts complex.
After graduating he carved out a successful career in advertising but as the 1990s wound down he decided to drop out of the rat race and enrolled himself in the shoemaking course at London’s Cordwainer’s College. He went on to work in Italy and in 2001 founded his own brand and now has shops in London, Hong Kong and Paris as well as a factory in Italy.
His shoes are now the footwear of choice of film stars, fashionistas and celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, Lily Allen, Cheryl Cole and Samantha Cameron.
His stellar position in the fashion firmament was confirmed in 2008 when he was named British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, invited to design shoes for Karl Lagerfeld’s 2009 autumn collection and most recently shod the cast of Aida at the Royal Opera House.
Welcoming him, the Chairman of Governors, Richard Slogrove, who is also an Old Elean, said the school roll was a record 980 pupils and 160 in the sixth form was an all-time high.
The Head of King’s, Sue Freestone, augmented her speech with contributions from the Heads of School, Claire Martin and Matthew Ixer. One of the Deputy Heads of School, Oliver Kenzie, gave a vote of thanks to Rupert Sanderson.

Photo: Rupert Sanderson with Heads of School Claire Martin and Matthew Ixer