By Ross Brewster

Published at 11:50, Wednesday, 01 October 2008

ANGRY Angy Morton has torn up her beloved Newcastle United shirts and turned them into a wedding dress in protest against the crisis-hit club.

ON THE TOON: Angy Morton models the haute couture wedding dress made out of recycled Newcastle United shirts

The Cumbrian fashion designer decided to rip up hers and husband Mike’s replica tops after former manager Kevin Keegan’s controversial departure from St James’ Park.

She then stitched the black and white tops back together as a wedding dress to demonstrate fans’ mixed feelings for the club – turning the Geordie footballing disaster into haute couture.

Angy, who is originally from Romania, has been a Magpies fan for about eight years. Her Newcastle-born husband has been a supporter since childhood.

Although they tore up their shirts in protest at the way the Premiership club is being run, they actually hope that recycling them will bring better luck to someone getting married.

The dress will feature in the Cumbria Life Woman fashion show at Rheged, near Penrith, on Friday and Saturday, October 10 and 11, together with a number of other contemporary designs by Angy, who runs a business near Windermere.

Angy said: “Newcastle United fans have a real love-hate relationship with their team at the moment, so I thought tearing up the shirts and turning them into a wedding dress was a good way to express how we feel.

“Many fans are finding it difficult to wear their shirts with pride with the way things are going at the moment but ultimately there’s no escape because they are really married to football and the team.”

Recycling is a theme that features strongly in Angy’s work.

“A lot of clothing gets thrown out because we’ve grown tired of it or because something new comes along. I like to think how I can make a beautiful new outfit or perhaps a bag out of these things,” she added.

The designer said the Newcastle United shirts were a good example.

“Two new shirts are brought out every year, but what happens to all the old ones? Many of them probably get thrown out or just end up at the back of a cupboard. It's such a waste when we could be doing something new and exciting with them.”

Newcastle were thrown into chaos last month when Keegan left St James’ Park.

For more information about Angy’s designs visit www.romantiquecouture. com or phone 01539 530648.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk