Fashion icon Zandra Rhodes made a pink and lasting impression at the cutting edge of Strood Academy’s exciting future.
Resplendent in a high-visibility pink jacket and hard hat, the designer wielded a rose-coloured spade to turn the first sod for work on £29 million buildings.
She cut a dash with students and staff before flying to Los Angeles, where she is busy designing costumes for operatic societies.
Zandra is chancellor of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), one of the academy’s sponsors.
She was born in Chatham and honed her early skills at the College of Design – one of the colleges later incorporated into UCA.
Her Medway training stood her in good stead when she later went on to dress many of the world’s rich and famous and became famous for her flamboyant style.
Strood Academy head Richard Hart said the designer’s success was an “inspirational example” to pupils, making her “the ideal person to celebrate this important milestone.”
Strood Academy opened in September 2009, after the closure of Chapter School and Temple School.
Building work at the academy, specialising in business, enterprise and mathematics, is due to be complete in August.