University recognises adidas curator

The man who created adidas’ famous Spezial collection has been honoured by the University of Lancashire.

Gary Aspden took to the graduation stage on Friday, to accept the Art and Creative Alumni Achievement Award after a highly successful marketing career which has seen him work on major projects and collaborate with big names in the entertainment industry.

He combined his BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion studies with placements at Diesel, Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan and following his graduation in 1998, he was offered a permanent job at adidas.

Gary, from Darwen, worked on entertainment promotions for adidas UK and during his time he was involved on a number of milestone projects for the internationally known sportswear company including the global launch of adidas’ Originals range.

He worked his way up the company, eventually ending up as the global head of entertainment marketing.

After almost 10 years he went freelance and is now retained by the company as a marketing consultant.

In 2014 he curated and designed the adidas Spezial capsule collection and the popularity of the range continues to grow.

He has collaborated with Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher and actors Stephen Graham, Vicky McClure and Ashley Walters on recent collections.

Gary, who has been featured twice in The Face magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in fashion, said: “I am genuinely thrilled and honoured to be given this award. I could never have imagined being awarded something like this back in 1998 when I graduated.

 “Those years in academia here in Preston gave me the space and time to develop my skills and for that I will always be grateful.”

Two additional alumni achievement awards were also given out during the week-long celebrations. Naheed Arshad-Mather MBE accepted the Society and Community trophy while Dr Natalie Kenny received the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths award.

Pioneer Naheed graduated in 1981 with a BA (Hons) History and Politics.

She was the first Asian Muslim woman to join the humanities degree programme, she became the first Muslim woman magistrate in her region and broke barriers as the first Asian woman elected to Kirklees Council.

Naheed spent 20 years as a principal lecturer in higher education and served on the University and College Union’s National Executive Council.

She also initiated a mentoring programme aimed at elevating Black and Asian women to senior management roles. Naheed has since been named in The Times 100 Muslim Women Power List.

Natalie, founder and chief executive officer of BioGrad, graduated in 2004 with a BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences.

Since founding it a decade ago, she has led its expansion, created jobs and provided opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds to thrive in the fields of scientific research, healthcare, and education.

Her passion for science and inclusivity has seen her create accessible and free specialist skills’ workshops to allow graduates to learn cutting-edge techniques in real-life laboratories.

Natalie has also set up a forward-thinking UK biobanking service to ensure the safe storage of important biological material that will help shape the future of biological and pharmaceutical research and development.

Honorary awards were also handed out to three worthy recipients.

Clarke Carlisle, who played nearly 550 professional games for teams including Preston North End, Burnley and Blackpool, took to the stage to receive an Honorary Fellowship.

He was recognised for the significant contribution he has made to football and mental health awareness.

During his 17-year playing career, the central defender was chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and an ambassador for the Kick it Out campaign, which focusses on eradicating racism and homophobia in football.

His challenges with mental health are well documented and he is now using his own experiences in his role as business development manager for a gambling harms charity.

Clarke is also working closely with the university delivering presentations to students about his mental health struggles.

University of Lancashire alumnus Professor Carl Lygo was recognised with an honorary doctorate for his outstanding contribution to the UK Higher Education sector.

Following roles as a barrister, lecturer and chief executive, he played a pivotal role in the BPP Law School becoming a university and was appointed its inaugural vice-chancellor. He was a founding non-executive board member of the Office for Students, and then became chairman of the University of Applied Sciences Europe.

In 2019, he was appointed vice-chancellor of Arden University and continues in that role alongside being a Professor of English Law and sitting part-time as a judge.

Sylvia Simmonds, who has spent her life trying to improve the lives of deaf individuals across the world, was honoured for her significant contribution to advocacy, British Sign Language (BSL) and deaf studies.

She is the former vice-chair of the British Deaf Association and has represented the views of disabled people and championed LGBTQ+ rights within the deaf community on an international scale.

Her achievements and successes include the World Federation of Deaf Youth Award, British Deaf Association Medal of Honour, and Royal Volunteer Service Platinum Jubilee Award.

Sylvia has worked with the University on a research project to campaign for sign language access to government briefings for deaf people during Covid-19 and another which wants BSL to be given official recognition and be recognised in UK law.