DRAPERS AT GRADUATE FASHION WEEK 2017

We're very happy to announce that Drapers are sponsoring the ‘Fashion Publication Award’ this June! Drapers will have a stand, where they will be giving out information regarding what they expect from new graduates that work with them, using job examples and offering expert advice. It is a fantastic opportunity for students of all ages to come and expand their career horizons. Getting invaluable knowledge from an exciting and insider voice in the industry!

"Drapers has been at the heart of UK fashion for 130 years and we're committed to supporting graduate talent as they navigate through a changing industry, by providing them with the information they need to develop their own careers and future-proof the businesses they work for."

Graduate Fashion Week is the largest showcase of graduate talent in the world, and we aim to ease the transition from university into the working world, so having Drapers on board is exciting for everyone that attends GFW!

Fashion Publications inspire and inform generations of fashion audiences, communicating fashion message through image and the written word. Despite the growth of new media formats, the Fashion Publication is still as desirable on object as it ever has been, with independent and established publications continuing to thrive. 

Project submissions for the Fashion Publication Award are sought from students producing inspiring and innovative printed fashion publications that resonate with the Industry and intended audience. Students should demonstrate quality of writing, imagery, layout design and a professional standard of production. 

Judges will be looking for creativity and original thinking and relevance to market. Quality and execution/translation of concept into the final solution/project are also to be taken into consideration. The work will need to include a supporting statement to contextualize the work produced. The winning student will recieve £750 and thier university shall receive £250. 

In addition to the cash prize, the winner will receive 2 tickets to the GFW Award Show on Wednesday 7th June . All the Exhibition Award Winners will have their winning work clearly highlighted on Wednesday 7th June and a mention during the GFW Gala Awards Show in the evening.

"We're delighted to support Graduate Fashion Week, as it showcases the work of rising stars and provides an opportunity for the industry to get a glimpse of the next generation of fashion."

Drapers will be offering advice and answering your questions, so make sure to buy your tickets now! 

YKK ARE SPONSORING THE ACCESSORIES AWARD!

We're so pleased to announce that YKK are not only sponsoring Graduate Fashion Week 2017, but they are sponsoring the Accessories Award this year! 

"Founded in 1934 by Tadao Yoshida in Japan, YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha. Today, YKK is synonymous with innovation and technology and can be seen on many of the world's leading fashion and accessory products."

It's great to have such an established, long lasting company, that is a voice of authority in a very specialised area of the fashion industry on board for #GFW17. 

To be in with a chance of winning the Accessories Award, you must bring a modern directional approach to the accessories arena. The eligible categories are millinery, shoes, bags, belts and jewellery. Award Nominations will need to be uploaded to the University Resource Page by Thursday 18th May 2017 6pm.

The Award will be judged at the event, it will be the responsibility of your course leader to upload your nomination form. If you have been nominated, you will need to bring your full entry to Graduate Fashion Week for the final judging.  

The Winners and Runners up of each award will be announced at the Daily Award Ceremony in GFW Live Studio at 6pm on the same day the award is judged. 

In addition to the cash prize, the winner will receive 2 tickets to the GFW Award Show on Wednesday 7th June . All the Exhibition Award Winners will have their winning work clearly highlighted on Wednesday 7th June and a mention during the GFW Gala Awards Show in the evening.

Bonmarché Fashion For All Award

We're so happy to announce that this year, one graduate will be the talented recipient of the Bonmarché Fashion For All Award! 

‘Attitudes to fashion in the last few years have changed significantly, no longer, is the designer restricted by the consumers age, their size, nor their shape’.

The winner will receive £750 in prize money and the winners university will receive £250. 

For more information on how and what to submit visit our awards page. 

Hilary Alexander OBE Trailblazer Award

We're so happy to announce a new award for Graduate Fashion Week 2017, entitled the Hilary Alexander OBE Trailblazer Award. The winning student will receive £1,000 and their University will be awarded £250. 

In recognition of the unparalleled level of support, commentary and guidance provided to UK trained fashion students, their academic staff, Colleges and Universities, associated with the Graduate Fashion Week Foundation, we have the honour of naming the new GFW 2017 Catwalk Award, ‘The Hilary Alexander Award’, after the renowned UK based Fashion Journalist, Hilary Alexander.

"I'm a bit of a catwalk junkie. I've always been captivated by the new and exciting and I feel a fantastic sense of anticipation whenever I sit down to watch a show. Graduate Fashion Week is especially inspirational because you're seeing the work of graduates who have never put their ideas and inspirations before a live audience before. It is simply brilliant when a graduate collection is enthralling, original, beautifully-made and creative in every way. I am thrilled and honoured to have this award named for me. Thank-you."

This new award has been created, in order to capture and reflect Hilary’s evident enthusiasm for the new, the fresh and the unpublished in fashion. The chosen collection should provide a refreshing fashion direction that best reflects what UK Fashion is renowned for and can also sustain national/international media interest in its’ realisation.

For more information on how to apply, please contact your university, or head to our awards page for in depth criteria. 

Awards At Graduate Fashion Week 2017

Here at Graduate Fashion Week, we are all about helping graduates launch themselves into the industry, by providing a platform that celebrates all areas of fashion. One way that we offer opportunities is through awards! We have several available over this years event, from swimwear and lingerie to styling and creative direction. Read on to find out a little more about what awards we have up for grabs, and what the criteria is. 

Our three largest awards are as follows:

The Gold Award

For the winning student, there is a £10,000 prize, with £2,000 going to the university. 

The Marks & Spencer Womenswear Award

The winning student with receive £5,000, and their university £1,000. 

The Debenhams Menswear Award

The winning student with receive £5,000 and the university £1,000. 

The judges will be looking for similar things when choosing the winning collection to take home the above awards. Important things to note, are the creativity, design, cut, craftsmanship, colour and fabric of the pieces. The winning collection will clearly demonstrate an exceptional ability in all of these things. When on the catwalk, the pieces must have a clear impact, combining both outstanding craftsmanship and truly original creativity. 

Visionary Knitwear

The visionary knitwear award will go to a collection showing an appropriate use of colour, texture, yarn and silhouette for the fashion statement being made. The collection should be creative, moving fashion forward, technically excellent in craftsmanship and production whilst demonstrating an understanding of the identified market. 

The judges will look for both creativity as well as the impact the garments make on the catwalk, alongside the intricate craftsmanship. 

Catwalk Textiles

In order to claim the catwalk textiles award, you will need to have created an innovative print, or constructed textile collection showing an appropriate use of colour, texture and pattern relative to both textiles and the garments. The collections statement should be clear, and supported by all elements of the garments. 

It is important that the collection is creative, groundbreaking in that it looks towards the future through both innovation and creativity, technically excellent in production and craftsmanship, all whilst clearly noting an understanding of the identifiable market. 

The judges will be looking out for the creativity, impact on the catwalk and the craftsmanship. 

International Catwalk Competition

The International Catwalk Competition was started in 2013 to celebrate and raise the profile of international institutions and give them a chance to come together to showcase their brightest new talent. The event has been highly successful with the first ever winner 4 years on showing his collection at London Fashion Week.

30 institutions worldwide are invited to send their best graduate at BA level or equivalent to showcase their work at the world’s largest event for fashion graduates and compete for the chance to be named the best collection in the international market.

The winning graduate will receive £1000, International Press and have their collection showcased at Fashion Scout, the international platform for fashion pioneers during Spring Summer 18 at London Fashion Week. The first and second runners up will win £500 and £250 respectively. This award can only be applied for through your university so ensure you ask your tutors about the International Catwalk Competition. 

Celebrating the Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award

Graduate Fashion Week has been the launching platform for designers such as Christopher Bailey, Julien McDonald and Stella McCartney. For 13 years the Gold Award has been awarded to designers who have demonstarated outstanding creativity, personality and innovation. In this post we look at some past winner of this award and what they are doing now. 

 In 2011 Rory Langdon from Nottingham Trent University was recognised for his exceptional ability in design, cut and construction and excellent use of colour and fabric with the Gold Award. He now works in Italy as a freelance knitwear designer after having worked for Mugler, Belstaff and Max Mara. 

Not only did Chloe Jones from Bath Spa University win the Gold Award in 2012, she also took home the Womenswear Award. She then went on to show at London Fashion Week with Fashion Scout and now works as a Junior Designer at River Island. 

Last year's Gold Award winner Hazel Symons from De Montfort University, won the Award with her collection of monochrome pieces that were bolted together rather than sewn. This collection was innovative and forward thinking and truly unique. Sophie is currently working with Sophie Hulme, who was one of the judges, as an Accessory Design Intern. 

We are so proud of all the talent that has been exhibited at GFW and can't wait to see what is coming up this year on the 4th to 7th June. 

This year we are giving away a total of 4 tickets to 2 lucky winners to see a show during London Fashion Week! You can win 2 tickets to this year's Ones to Watch Show at the Fashion Scout catwalk on Friday 17th February at 3:30pm. The show includes Orange Culture, an ultra modern menswear brand and RU a womenswear brand inspired by exploding and cracking buildings. 

A separate winner will win 2 tickets to see the Fashion Scout Merit Award Winner - Katie Ann McGuigan Show where you'll see outstanding prints alongside modern and graphic silhouettes. The show will take place on Saturday 18th February at 5pm.

Both shows will take place at the Freemasons' Hall, London, WC2B 5AZ. No transport will be provided.

THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED