‘Opening Space’ celebrates work of graduating students

Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan today launches Opening Space, a digital exhibition highlighting the work and experiences of graduating students.

The online exhibition showcases the work of final year students from across fashion design, fashion communication and fashion business specialisms.

The exhibition launches this evening with a welcome from Professor Liz Barnes, Head of Manchester Fashion Institute at 5pm.

Alongside the exhibition, a series of events will take place throughout June, which starts with the premiere of the Opening Space Exhibition Film.

It is wonderful to be able to come together for this programme of online events that celebrate the achievements of the 2021 graduates. They have worked through unprecedented challenges and demonstrated incredible resilience and creativity, generating impactful and innovative work.

The short film celebrates the work of graduates from BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion and BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction, which has been on display at Manchester Metropolitan’s Holden Gallery and filmed for a public experience.

It features image-based work exploring topics from sustainability and technology, to identity and freedom, and includes interviews with selected graduates.

Streamed digital catwalks will showcase the diversity and breadth of creative outputs from BA (Hons) Fashion and BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology graduates on June 9.

Later in the month, two student-led panel discussions will see graduates talk about their work and experiences linked to a theme – enterprise or diversity – and reflect on their academic and professional development.

Jo Jenkinson, Deputy Head (Fashion) at Manchester Fashion Institute, said: “It is wonderful to be able to come together for this programme of online events that celebrate the achievements of the 2021 graduates. They have worked through unprecedented challenges and demonstrated incredible resilience and creativity, generating impactful and innovative work. We are very proud to showcase their projects and launch this new generation of fashion talent.”

Students work featured in the online exhibition explores a wide range of themes including sustainability and social inequalities to activism and escapism.

For example, BA (Hons) Fashion student Tamar Levy’s menswear collection is a protest against racial profiling, paying tribute to their heritage of the Windrush Generation.

Meanwhile, BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Management student Eleanor Wong developed a sustainable online magazine for her final project that aims to educate Gen Z consumers on the implications of their shopping and lifestyle habits, to encourage more considered purchases.

Over the last year, many students have taken part in a wide range of prestigious industry awards and competitions.

Most recently, three Fashion Institute students have been announced as finalists in this year’s Graduate Fashion Foundation 2021 Awards, highlighting the best in graduate talent. 

BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction student Rosie Bell has been shortlisted for the Terry Mansfield Publication Award. She creates multi-layered narratives through art direction, photography and writing to engage with a variety of fashion outputs including sustainable publications, fashion writing, moving image and film photography.

BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology student Antalya Todd has been nominated for the Sport and Leisurewear Award. With a particular interest in performance outwear, she uses considered fabrication and trim sourcing to make designs as sustainable as possible, in addition to designing for physical and emotional durability.

BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion student Keira Murray is in the running for the New Fashion Media Award. Her project The Kensho Concept aims to create a central hub and voice for women’s outdoor and functional fashion market, with a vision to diminish and push the boundaries of feminine stereotypes.

The awards ceremony will take place on June 18 during Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) (June 12 – 18). As part of GFW, Fashion Institute students will have their portfolios displayed online and will showcase their work in a catwalk show which will be streamed live online on June 15 at 4.30pm.

You can find out more about the digital exhibition and explore student profiles on the Opening Space website.