News

Durham is prime location for top photo shoot with Jonny Wilkinson

(11 May 2005)

Rugby superstar Jonny Wilkinson was the focus of great attention and excitement at Durham University's Hatfield College, which was chosen as the prime location for a fashion shoot for a prestigious clothing catalogue.

Prominent clothing brand Hackett, in order to reflect the younger image of the fashion shown in the autumn/winter catalogue, deemed Hatfield College as the perfect location to exemplify this, while maintaining their identity as being the ‘Essential British Kit’.

Hatfield’s peaceful exteriors and classic buildings provided the perfect setting for the modelling of fashionable clothes by the Newcastle Falcons’ Fly Half.

The shoot generated much interest from onlooking students, with some going to great lengths to sneak a picture. Some preferred the comforts of the ground floor, but others went to photographic acrobatics, leaning out of windows to capture a glimpse of Jonny on film.

Staff and students, male and female, queued up to see the ‘living legend’ and caused one girl to cry, “He’s just as gorgeous in real life as he is on telly!”.

Adding crowd control to her many talents, Acting Master and Senior Tutor at Hatfield College, Angel Scott said, “Jonny very generously agreed to photographs with students and gave autographs. He was a wonderful choice of model dressed in Hackett’s very traditional British style set against the backdrop of Hatfield's historic buildings. It was a fascinating and exciting day and everyone involved said how much they had enjoyed the location”

Hackett, founded by Jeremy Hackett and Ashley Lloyd-Jennings, opened its first store in 1983 in London in the New Kings Road at Parsons Green. They pride themselves on, “having their own point of view on menswear, based on authentic British style.”

Rachel Day, Marketing Manager for Hackett said, “We felt Hatfield College provided the perfect backdrop for our Autumn/Winter 2005 shoot with Jonny Wilkinson. Jonny has connections with Durham University and the College provided great scope for us to showcase Hackett product in a range of different settings. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, everyone was extremely helpful and we had a good day all round.'

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For more information contact: Tom Fennelly, Public Relations Office Durham University. Tel 0191 334 6078 e-mail: t.p.fennelly@durham.ac.uk