Graduate Fashion Week 2010

Another crop of young design talent celebrated the end of Graduate Fashion Week tonight with a gala catwalk presentation showcasing the best contributors from fashion colleges and universities across the UK.

Standards are always high, but with a judging panel that included designers Alberta Ferretti and Kim Jones, and Elle editor Lorraine Candy, competition for the highest accolades was tough. The Gold Award, sponsored by River Island, is a feather in the cap of any design grad – but the financial backing and industry mentoring that it comes with are invaluable.

Notable collections included Thomasin Gautier-Ollorenshaw of Birmingham City University, whose cartoonish menswear included furry trousers and a bomb-shaped balaclava, and Alex Newton from Northampton, whose silken and iridescent scribble-print crinoline skirts were romantically modern (both pictured below).

The event was held at Earls Court and was presented by fashion favourite Caryn Franklin. Stars in attendance included Rachel Stevens, girl aloud Nicola Roberts and designers Betty Jackson and Jens Laugeson.

It’s a tribute to the young designers that most collections inspired thoughts not of ‘didn’t they do well but rather ‘how can I get my hands on that’.

For a full report on all the graduate shows, including St. Martins, the London College of Fashion and the Royal College of Art, see The Independent fashion pages next Monday.

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