Graduate Fashion Week Highlights

Yesterday marked the end of Graduate Fashion Week at the Old Truman Brewery in London, a four-day event that showcases the work of more than 1,000 of the best students and graduates around the world. Set up in 1991 by Jeff Banks, Vanessa Denza and John Walford, the aim of the event is to promote new talent and bridge the gap between graduation and employment. GFW has launched many successful careers, including those of Christopher Bailey, Matthew Williamson, Julien Macdonald and Stella McCartney.

This year the standard of the students’ collections was incredible, and many wouldn’t look out of place on the catwalk at London Fashion Week. There were a few that stood out to us though, and will definitely be keeping our eye on…

Naomi Cunningham from Norwich University of the Arts gave pastels an edge with her collection. Simple jumpsuits and midi dresses were given a utilitarian feel with big, oversized pockets, while jumpers and tunics came complete with backpacks sewn into them – genius.

Liverpool John Moores graduate Lottie Manson created a beautifully crafted collection of silk dresses in white tones. Dresses skimmed the models’ bodies perfectly, showing the care and consideration that went into the cut of each garment. We love the mixture of textures and tones – take a look at our blog post on the ‘head-to-toe white’ trend taking over this summer.

Soft tailoring, draping and oversized shapes made up Shaunnah Timm’s collection from the University of Salford. Blue and blush pink tones were used throughout, creating beautiful garments of long dresses with plunging necklines, kimono-inspired jackets and cropped sweaters with billowing sleeves. Orange was used in Shaunnah’s clutch bags and hats – an unexpected use of colour, but one that totally worked.

Our favourite headwear came from Frida Hoffman at Birmingham City University. Large fluffy sunhats in pastel pink gave a new meaning to ‘wide brim’, with the hats completely covering the models’ faces. A glamorous shape, we can imagine this in light shades for summer, and dark come autumn/winter.

Images courtesy of Catwalking.com and Laura Sweetingham