This week is Grand Prix Week – celebrating 50 years of the Grand Prix at Silverstone
This week is Grand Prix Week – celebrating 50 years of the Grand Prix at Silverstone and the tremendous impact of Northamptonshire’s motorsport heritage and High Performance Technologies (HPT) sector on the county’s economy.
2014 marks 50 years of the Grand Prix at Silverstone and since the inaugural race, the High Performance Technologies (HPT) sector in Northamptonshire has continued to evolve and become recognised as a world-class cluster and automotive supply chain.
Motorsport, aerospace, defence, oil and gas and environmental technologies are all served by the sector but there is another industry with a great heritage in Northamptonshire that is also embracing some of the latest technology – the footwear industry.
While 3D printing has been around since the 1980s, its influence on the fashion industry is a fairly new phenomenon. 3D printing gives designers the ability to quickly turn concepts into 3D models or prototypes and allows for rapid design changes.
University of Northampton Fashion Graduate, Kerrie Luft, has made her mark on the footwear industry having already seen her shoes hit the catwalk and shelves in Selfridges.
Kerrie creates the heels using prototype computer technology previously only used in aerospace and dentistry. She uses a 3D software package which creates the design through layering the titanium heel. She came across the process while at university at which point she realised the potential of using it in footwear. Kerrie wanted her design to look fluid and elegant and the technology helps her to achieve that.
Some might say that the National Lift Tower, towering over the Northampton Saints ground and St James, may have inspired the sky high heels recently showcased at Graduate Fashion Week by the University of Northampton students, in particular those by student, Jinesh Khodiyar.
Many of those involved in technology disciplines and the arts will agree that over the next 50 years, technology will evolve together at a speed comparable to those achieved at Silverstone this weekend.
All you need to know can be found HERE:
www.homeofmotorsport.co.uk
At the heart of England and just one hour from London, business is booming in Northamptonshire, one of the fastest growing counties in the UK... and recently named 
