THE GRADUATES
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ompared to the holy trinity of Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion and the Royal College of Art, other British fashion schools seem to be the underdogs. But at Graduate Fashion Week, the spotlight was on the., London better brace itself for the competition.
tirely of white latex and embossed with floral motifs. “Hannah’s collection was extremely original, very photogenic, modern and innovative, using great new techniques in fabric innovation,” said judge Cathy Edwards of Dazed & Confused. The winning menswear collection by Shauni Douglas and Olivia Creber from Edinburgh College of Art will be remembered for the extraordinary moustache-like accessories which models held in their mouths, stealing attention from the no less imaginative play of the proportion of the garments.
Over 40 British universities, as well as renowned fashion institutions from abroad, participated in this year’s Graduate Fashion Week, which took place at the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre in London at the beginning of June. The fashion designers of tomorrow presented their collections in 22 catwalk shows to a large audience of industry professionals and young fashion enthusiasts donning outfits worthy of Somerset House’s courtyard. Each university had its own exhibition stand where visitors chatted with students and their mentors, flicked through portfolios, and took a closer peek at the clothes seen on the catwalk. It wasn’t all about clothes though. In four days, Graduate Fashion Week hosted numerous career- and business-oriented workshops for graduates breaking into the fashion industry. Once you were done polishing your CV with Drapers, you could head off to listen to talks given by industry luminaries such as designer Mary Katrantzou, journalists Colin McDowell and Melanie Rickey, blogger Susie Bubble, and the last day’s surprise guest Victoria Beckham.
Angus Chiang, Shih Chien University, Taiwan International Award
Twenty-six young designers were selected to appear in the final Gala and Awards show, hosted by designer Henry Holland and TV presenter Zara Martin. Lauren Smith from Edinburgh College of Art won the George Gold award for her whimsical womenswear collection featuring illustrated prints inspired by sketchbooks, oversized paperclips and 1950s Japanese silhouettes. The collection, which judge Roland Mouret described as “emotional”, was candid, optimistic, and thoroughly contemporary. Smith received £20,000 to kickstart her career and will also design a capsule collection for Graduate Fashion Week’s principal sponsor, George at Asda. The womenswear award went to Hannah Williams from UCA Epsom, who presented a minimalist, feminine collection made en55 | Urban-Coco
Angus Chiang, Shih Chien University, Taiwan International Award
Kirandeep Bassan from Northampton University, who designed six warm and vibrant screen-printed looks (think interjecting splashes of brick red, sun orange, turquoise and electric blue), took home the Zandra Rhodes textile award, presented by the legendary pink-haired designer herself. Thea Sanders from Nottingham Trent University received the Stuart Peters Visionary Knitwear award for her trendy collection in which she explored the impact of heavy knitting on the way clothes move. The only winner from outside of the UK, Angus Chiang from Taiwan’s Shih Chien University, won the International award for his reinterpretation of astronauts’ space suits. One of the quirkiest Graduate Fashion Week collections, his show began with total darkness, but transformed into a full-on blast of neon blooms, as if to extend a message of friendliness to aliens. In April, French superblogger Garance Dore talked at London’s British Vogue Festival about how the need for clothes to ‘pop’ online (on screen, beige looks bland compared to Kenzo’s tiger jumper) has changed fashion. In line with her observation, this year’s graduates generally showed preference for strong prints and bright colours, demonstrating a commendable awareness of the development of fashion and trends without compromising self-expression. London institutions have the advantage of being in the industry hub, but otherwise, Graduate Fashion Week has shown there are other British universities that should be considered with the same seriousness when deciding where to get your degree in fashion design. Who knows - you might win the Gold award in three years. Words by Eva Domijan