The winners of Graduate Fashion Week 2012 are announced.
Graduate Fashion Week returned last week to showcase the very best of up and coming fashion talent from around the UK. The celebrations were in full swing as 2012 welcomes 21 years of GFW supporting fashion students from art colleges and universities both in Britain and across the globe. Fashion royalty from one-time GFW winner and Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey, to iconic fashion editor, Suzy Menkes were all involved in the event at London’s Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre.
The festivities kicked off with the Graduate Fashion Week show, where dozens of students showcased their final collections in hope to begin what will become a very successful career in the British fashion industry. It was certainly a successful night for the University of Central Lancashire who had an impressive 17 students showing. Standouts included Xiaoping Huang, whose rainbow coloured collection of concertinas and vibrant prints created an avant-garde display, whilst Claire Acton’s tangerine fringe fest was juxtaposed with imagery of 60s fashion icons – making for a modern, yet nostalgic feel.
Wearability came from Amy Holden’s stunning debut collection where butter-soft, laser-cut leather was made into burgundy shift dresses and layered over starched white shirts. Part sexy, part prim, it was the stand out collection in terms of what we’d like to be wearing. Caitlin Charles-Jones of Kingston University was another highlight, focusing on zesty, graphic stripes and slouchy, yet feminine shapes all created in the most luxuriously fine knit.
As the gala drew to a close all eyes where on the real star of the show, Chloe Jones from Bath Spa University who scooped the prestigious George Gold Award. A palette of ghostly greys where shown in hooded sweaters, maxi dresses and oversized coats making for a collection that was simultaneously sporty, romantic and most certainly haunting. Head of Design for George and GFW judge Sadie Robson said of the collection, “Chloe demonstrated such a fresh approach to jersey wear. Her collection was so creative and yet so commercial and fit for today’s fashion.”
A few trends popped up throughout the collections, perhaps hinting to a direction British fashion might be taking in the future. From digital prints à la Mary Katrantzou, to space age silhouettes reminiscent of Christopher Kane’s early collections. Over all, the feel was fresh, modern and innovative – a prime example of how exciting and unique the design talent is here in the UK.