Stylist and TV personality Gok War rushes into the ASOS GFW Talk Space, apologizing for the amount of make up he’s wearing, having just come from the Today show. Its no wonder Gok has such a jam-packed schedule, with the launch of his latest collection for TU at Sainsbury’s, our GFW sponsors. The audience of eager graduates was taken through the journey of Gok’s rise to success, as we learned about his ‘blagging’ skills that propelled him into the fashion industry. “It’s not about lying”, he says, “but talk until they don’t have anything left to say but yes!”. A valuable tip from someone who has nailed the commercial fashion industry as the triple threat: stylist, hair and make-up. “It’s about creativity, of course, but knowing about the business side of it is so important if you want to succeed as a brand”.
Gok’s collection for Sainsbury’s was all about being accessible. He says, “All the fashion I’ve ever wanted to do is about bringing it to the masses. It’s never been about a size zero, exclusion or how much money you have”. Sainsbury’s recognized this indiscriminate quality in Gok and approached him about starting his own collection.. And the rest we’ve seen flying off the racks! Gok’s unprecedented success at making a supermarket clothing range relevant as a fashion talking point should be taken as an inspiration for all graduates who are thinking of starting their own line. Additionally, TU for Sainsbury’s are offering a year long paid internship to aid a few lucky graduates in starting their careers. If you’d like to apply contact TU and send along your portfolio. Who knows, you could be the next Gok Wan.