Best Of Graduate Fashion Week 2013

Best of GFW 2013 review by Emma Scott, images by Lin Vitali.

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Best Of Graduate Fashion Week 2013 Highlights

Best Of Graduate Fashion Week 2013 catwalk showcased neatly selected collections by top designers seen during the GFW2013 event.

The highlights include collection by George Gold Award winner, Lauren Smith, as well as collections by Shauni Douglas and Olivia Creber from Edinburgh College of Art - Menswear Award winners, Emma De Vries from Ravensbourne - Karen Millen Fashion Portfolio Award winner and Hannah William from UCA Epsom - Fashion Innovation Award winner among others.

The Weird World Of A Graduate Designer

Is that a clip on beard? The first thing I thought when an image from graduate fashion week appeared, showing a model sporting a somewhat interesting accessory. As I continued browsing through the photos of this year’s graduate fashion week it was hard to pinpoint a common theme. The vast variety of talent and creativity is reflected in every garment making each one unique, a visual representation of the designer that created them.

The weirder, the brighter, the better seems to be the common idea that runs through the many of the collections featured at the fashion week, with oversized and abstract headgear making a frequent appearance. Digital prints seemed a favourite amongst the graduates, ranging from idyllic landscapes and serene works of art, to my personal favourite, a t-rex head surrounded by a love heart and flowers. All of which adorned oversized garments in lightweight fabrics, that draped fluidly from the body.

Shih Chien University (Angus Chiang) and UCA Rochester (Lauren Dutton)

Northumbria University (Jennifer Lowther) and Kingston University (Lucinda Popp)

Ravensbourne (Chen Yu Wang) and Istituto Marangoni (Juliena Siqueira)

Cool Cover Up

Silhouettes were kept very geometric, triangular shift dresses and coats constructed from rectangular panels accessorised with angular collars and clean cut hemlines. There was a slight back to school preppy look through some of the collections, with comfy sweatshirts, scarfs embroidered with text and baseball caps making the overall feel casual and streetwise.

The aim was not to enhance, but disguise the figure, with loose unstructured trousers and a hint of androgyny, from graduate Juliena Siqueira whom displayed a male model wearing a fuchsia pink skirt paired with a tailored black blazer. Androgynous dressing was most prominent throughout the womenswear collections of graduate fashion week, with many designers opting for boyish style cut of shorts and denim shirts buttoned up to the collar, which shrouded the female form.

UCLan (Alexandra Lauren Wilbraham) and Manchester School of Art (Olivia Peszynski)

De Montfort University (Kim Phillips) and University of Salford (Rubina Khanum)

Ravensbourne (Josephine Pettman) and UCA Epsom (Hannah Williams)

Brighten Up Black And White

What appealed to me the most however was the use of print, pattern and texture throughout the collections. This featured in a knitted piece with an intricate swirling design and fluffy pom-pom style sleeves along with a smooth and sleek fur jumper in a buttery yellow that catches the eye against bold white trousers. Patterns were varied, stripes, checks and gingham in muted colours contrasted dainty paisley and pastel, oriental style designs. I was surprised at how many of the students opted to use black and white as staple shades for their garments, normally I would find this rather dull however the young designers proved how this need not be the case, using striking orange and cool turquoise colours along with a variety of prints and layers to bring the garments to life.

Nottingham Trent University (Josephine Pettman) and Kingston University (Nolwenn Faligot)

Northampton University (Kirandeep Bassan) and De Montfort University (Helen Senior)

Ravensbourne (Patricia Williams) and Nottingham Trent University (Thea Sanders)

The Future Is Bright

It was an impressive set of collections for the recent fashion graduates, showing a huge amount of creativity and skill in every garment. Each garment and collection was greatly unique and I love how it was all very wearable and chic, yet would still turn a number of heads as you walked down the street. There were a large number of techniques on show, from knitwear to digital print, ruffles and applique, showcasing the versatility and skill from each designer. Like the garments the future is bright for the graduates, my personal favourite outfit, aside from the odd bearded mouthpiece from Shauni Douglas and Olivia Creber, was a striking piece from Angus Chiang, which appeared to be completely embellished in flower type structures complete with its own kind of halo. To conclude a very successful graduate fashion week and it will be interesting to see how the graduates progress into the world of fashion.

Ravensbourne (William Baxter) and Edinburgh College of Art (Lauren Smith)

Manchester School of Art (Adam Jones) and Arts University Bournemouth (Stephen Garvey)

Bath Spa University (Stephanie Kitchen) and University of Central Lancashire (Georgia Jazz Burns)

Edinburgh College of Art (Shauni Douglas and Olivia Creber) and Istituto Marangoni (Nicholas Wirth)