It was wonderful to see so many graduates using fashion to take on meaningful topics that are important to them. Some designers were more direct with their social justice statements. Lauren Sian Black from Liverpool John Moores University, sent one of the models down the catwalk carrying a bright yellow sign saying ‘Black Lives Matter’, with one of the tops featuring Eric Garner’s final words ‘I can’t breathe’. Her menswear collection showed a clear stance of support for the international activist movement which campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
The votes for the People’s Choice Award ended on Sunday night and with just under 4,000 entries, we're really pleased to be able to announce the winner! This year's Graduate Fashion Week was filled to the brim with creative ingenuity, collections as platforms for making political points and expert craftsmanship.
Graduate Fashion Week are proud to kick off the first day of the four-day event, packed with students and their work from some of the best universities as well as talks with notable names discussing the industry.
A few weeks ago we held our GFW17 photo shoot, with influencers and models wearing pieces created by this year's graduating classes from across the UK. We spoke with Charley Van Purpz, an influencer and popular man on Instagram, to get his view on the fashion industry in the modern world, how relationships between creatives can get rocky and why he can't wait for the era of loud fashion to come calmly to a close.
