The greatest student fashion show on earth
Schools, universities and colleges prepare their hopeful young designers for the much-anticipated celebration of the best of student fashion
At schools, colleges and universities up and down the land, hundreds of hopeful young designers are putting the finishing touches to the collections which will be shown at the greatest student fashion show on earth - Graduate Fashion Week, being held in London, at Earls Court 2, in London, from June 6-10.
This year’s event features the work of more than 1,000 BA fashion graduates from more than 60 UK universities, as well as an international catwalk event with collections from five overseas colleges: Amsterdam Fashion Institute; Hamburg’s Academie Mode and Design; the FHNW Academy of Arts & Design/Institute Fashion Design, of Basel; St Petersburg’s State University of Technology & Design; and the Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore.
Graduate Fashion Week, now in its 19th year, is being sponsored by the high street fashion chain, River Island, for the sixth year running.
“The last five years have been a total eye-opener,” says Richard Bradbury, CBE, River Island’s CEO. “No other event in the world can display so much raw talent to a continually growing audience.”
Apart from a daily schedule of fashion shows by nineteen different fashion colleges and universities, GFW is also home to a vast exhibition where all the sixty-plus participants take stands to showcase the work by each Class of 2009/2010. Of special interest this year is a display of the “campaign images” shot by the acclaimed young photographer, Rankin, and featuring the work of a number of ‘hot’ names to watch, chosen by the stylist, Katie Shillingford.
The Graduate Fashion Week Gala on Wednesday June 9th includes the annual awards ceremony, with prizes given for the best womenswear, menswear and knitwear, among others, as well as the prestigious River Island Gold Award, worth £20,000. A new prize has been added to this year’s list, the Inspiration Award, which is being voted for by GFW students, and will acknowledge the contribution to fashion by an inspirational figure, such as an actor, musician, designer or model. Alberta Ferretti, one of Italy’s top designers, is chairing this year’s judging panel.
Graduate Fashion Week ends on Thursday June 10th, with its Education Day, now in its third year and proving a huge attraction for 14-18 year-olds interested in a career in fashion. Last year, more than 3,500 students attending from 140 schools nationwide.
Further details, admission prices and times: www.gfw.org.uk
Writers name
Hilary Alexander, Telegraph 28-05-2010
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Consort Luxury
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