The 33rd edition of Graduate Fashion Week has begun in tandem with menswear season. On June 10, the event kicked off with an awards ceremony in which Graduate Fashion Foundation spokesperson Isabella Silvers introduced the winners in eight different categories.
At the Arts University Bournemouth competition, Holly Evans took home the Fashion Illustrator Award, Stephanie Daley was awarded the Accessories Award, and Aiden Davey was given the Dame Zandra Rhodes Fashion Textiles Award. With his knitwear designs, Davey hopes to deter smoking and boost young people’s self-esteem in social situations.
Other honorees included Guessie O’Connor from Kingston University, Charlotte Butler from Birmingham City University, Nova Hammon-Hagan from University of the West England, and Mahalia Ellis from Birmingham City University, who took home the Face Excellence Prize, Culture and Heritage Award in Design, and Non-Design Award.
Kira Uddin, a De Montfort University graduate, won the Fashion Innovation Award for her ‘Fake It Till You Make It’ menswear line. Various interpretations of the ‘London Man’ were featured in her work, showcasing her inventiveness and commitment to the field.
A number of winners from various institutions were revealed, including Charlotte Makinson, Vanessa Amofa Baah, Shaojing Zhu, Mai Le Lan Y, and Bridget Calthrop. A few of their outfits will be on display at the ‘Best of GFW24’ event that takes place on June 13 and will reveal the overall winners. Alfie Stevens took home the Gold Award, Natasha Owen took home the Silver Award, and Rosie Brown took home the Bronze Award in the Kornit Digital Catwalk competition’s final shows.
The Guardian described Russia Prior’s art as daring and eccentric, noting that each piece in her collection is a room in a house that together tell a story. Along with peers Ella Clow and Zach Fornelius, Prior was chosen for Graduate Fashion Week’s (GFW) Opening Night Catwalk Show. The GFW AUB Catwalk Show was won by her.
