Graduate Fashion Week: International Fashion Show

During Graduate Fashion Week last week, I went to the international catwalk show, featuring the best collections from Munich, Singapore, St Petersburg, Basel and Amsterdam. Sitting metres away from Hilary Alexander and Susie Bubble, I watched each city battle it out in the first ever GFW international show.

What I enjoyed the most way that each designer showcased both menswear and womenswear (even if it was just a single piece of one) as well as the masks (which seemed to be a trend throughout the shows) and (as ever) the shoes. Unfortunately I'd left my camera charger in Epsom whilst staying in London and it died about a third of the way into the show! I tried to make it last by fiddling with the battery but didn't get as many photos as I'd like..

Akademie Mode & Design, Munich:

Denise Nadine Paché

Ramona Lehnerer

Wolfgang Jarnach

Lasalle College of Art, Singapore:

Li Sang

Lidya Chrisfens

AMFL, Amsterdam:

Floor Kolen

SUDT, St Petersburg:

Anna Sergunova

My favourites were Munich and Amsterdam, with St Petersburg definitely my least favourite. They just didn't do anything new and exciting and I felt very uninspired. Although I think it was a good idea to bring some international designers to London's Graduate Fashion Week, to bring in some new press interest etc, I also felt that it wasn't fair to steal the London designers' limelight! What do you think?

Graduate Fashion Week: UCA Epsom Fashion Design Show

Sunday was the first official day of Graduate Fashion Week where myself, along with hundreds of Britain's fashion graduates (and a few internationals) have been exhibiting/showcasing our work. I had spent Saturday helping to set up the UCA Epsom stand and foolishly volunteering to sticking up all the vinyl names of each exhibitor on my course (along with 1 other student) - therefore staying until gone 6 when all the other students had left hours before to catch the Epsom Derby or generally go out.. Sunday was a day to have fun, meet people, eat some skinny cow ice creams and have a mooch around the other stands.

A couple of the Sketchbook girls came along to have a look at my work and interview me for the Sketchbook blog and I invited them to watch the UCA Epsom BA Fashion Design show. We took our front row seats and swapped around so I was sitting next to my friend Mike. The next thing I knew, Hilary Alexander sat down next to the seat I was originally sat in! Damn..

Anyway this post is about the graduate show so let me show you some of my favourites (and not-so-favourites)...

The first collection to grab me was Laura Clark's.. A charming mix of travelling and military references with fur (or perhaps not) cuffs and crisp tailoring...






I also liked Katie Barret's use of pleating and accessories in her menswear collection...

Still can't make my mind up about Alice Driver's collection. I think perhaps I was too distracted by the glasses and chelsea boots?

Notice Zandra in the background (above)?

The only words I can think of to describe Beata Gebka's collection are 'Modern Amish'.

Anna Piercy made everyone laugh by sending alphabet inspired pieces down the catwalk. The models then rearranged themselves to spell out RANDOM, which yes, it was!

William Hamil kept his collection simple, using mainly white with the occasional nature inspired print (which I couldn't find a good photo of on my cam)...

Miho Chico featured acrylic jewellery and primary colours against black, creating the effect of stained glass windows.

Another one that stuck out to me was Alice Halliday, who's religious influenced collection featured heavy embellishments and religious accessories with a medieval yet angelic feel.

I loved the shapes and use of accessories in this collection. Stency Kidega sent her models down the catwalk to "I'm a little airplane now"!

Each designer also paraded down the runway at the end of the show, some embarrassed and stupidly hiding their faces from the cameras (therefore ruining a potential press shot) and some grinning from ear to ear.

Good luck to the UCA graduates!