Student designers showcase collections at Graduate Fashion Week

31 May 2019

Manchester School of Art and Manchester Fashion Institute students are shortlisted for awards


Suzie Bostock, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology's collection

Fashion students are preparing for this year’s Graduate Fashion Week (June 2-5) – an annual showcase of the best young design talent in the country.

A dozen students from Manchester School of Art and Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University have already been shortlisted for awards, with more to be announced when the event gets underway.

This year’s student collections address some of the most pressing issues in the fashion industry and wider society – from sustainability and climate change to gender and migration.  

Nominations for Graduate Fashion Week’s Exhibition Awards reflect the diversity of talent from the University’s fashion courses, in categories spanning considered design, childrenswear, sportswear and fashion photography.

[GALLERY]

The full list of nominations so far is:

Accessories Award

Leo John Caligan – BA (Hons) Fashion, Manchester School of Art

Considered Design Award

Alexandra Dickson – BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Technology, Manchester Fashion Institute

Fashion Communication Portfolio Award

Noah Redman Bennett, BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction, Manchester School of Art

Fashion Design Portfolio Award

Georgia Rayner, BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Technology, Manchester Fashion Institute

Fashion Photography Award

Sara Carpentieri, BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction, Manchester School of Art

Fashion Publication

Sayf Taj, BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction, Manchester School of Art

Martha Wragg, BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction, Manchester School of Art

Holly Palmer, BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion, Manchester Fashion Institute

Childrenswear Award

Alexandra Dickson, BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Technology, Manchester Fashion Institute

Fashion Styling & Creative Direction Award

Saoirse Sedeghian, BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction, Manchester School of Art

Sportswear and Leisurewear Award

Jimmy Howe, BA (Hons) Fashion, Manchester School of Art 

Megan Patton, BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Technology, Manchester Fashion Institute

Alexandra Dickson, who has been shortlisted in two categories, said: “It means so much to me to be shortlisted for these awards; the Considered Design Award is something very meaningful to me as I have strived to make my final collection sustainable. I am also very excited about the Mothercare Childrenswear award, this is a new area for me and I have felt very supported by the amazing tutors here while I explored this new discipline.”

Dr Susan Atkin, Programme Leader for BA Fashion, said: “It is great to see our students shortlisted for GFW awards. It reflects Manchester School of Art’s fashion students’ original thinking and experimentation that enables them to develop innovative ideas realised to a professional standard with a strong sense of craft applied to the work.”

John Earnshaw, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design and Technology, said: “It is fantastic to see so many Manchester Fashion Institute students nominated for Exhibition Awards, representing the breadth of our students’ specialisms from sportswear to sustainability. We look forward to showcasing the latest graduate portfolios and garments to industry visitors, both on our stand and during our show at Graduate Fashion Week.”

Both the School of Art and Fashion Institute held Manchester shows earlier in May, from which a selection of students were chosen to exhibit at shows at Graduate Fashion Week. Following these shows, further Catwalk Awards are distributed.  

Graduate Fashion Week showcases the work of over 1,000 graduating students each year, attracting 30,000 guests across 25 catwalk shows, exhibitions from over 40 universities and an acclaimed Gala Award Show.

The week is responsible for launching the careers of some of the most successful designers of our time including Christopher Bailey MBE, who was the winner of the first ever Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award, Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Matthew Williamson and Julien Macdonald.

More student work can be viewed at mmu.ac.uk/fashion2019

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