A young designer has created a new look for one of Yorkshire's most successful brass bands.

Alison Genau cast aside tradition when she created sleek suits for the musicians of Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band.

As well as her £100 first prize, the 22-year-old fashion student had a sneak preview of her work at a one-off concert in front of an invited audience in Bradford.

The band challenged Alison and colleagues at Bradford College of Art and Design to come up with a uniform that was modern, comfortable and innovative.

Principal conductor David King said: "The old uniform was a fairly bog standard brass band uniform which dates back to the French Revolution!

"It was based around a military design and had a lot of braiding and ornamentation and was frankly, a bit uncomfortable.

"It was time the uniform was brought in line with the modern image of the band and our innovative approach to music.

"Alison's design, modelled in our picture by Sheona White, hit the right note. It is exactly what we needed to improve our public image."

To bring the reigning European Champions into the new Millennium, Alison replaced the braiding and tunics with collar-less designer suits, sharp waistcoats and, for the women, green polo-neck sweaters and V-necks.

She said: "I went to a rehearsal and handed round a questionnaire asking the band what they wanted from a new uniform. David King liked the idea of a collar-less suit for comfort and the ladies said they wanted a more feminine looking uniform and suggested the V-necks.

"It was amazing to see the uniforms on such a scale when the whole band was performing. Up until then they'd only been drawings on a piece of paper."

Yorkshire Building Society has sponsored the band since 1993.

Its marketing manager Linda Will said: "We sponsored the band because it blends traditional values and forward thinking.

"The new uniforms give the band a much more contemporary feel and the green and black is the same as our logo so it projects our brand as well!"