Graduate Fashion Week 09: Gala Award Highlights

A big congratulations to Myrto Samou of UCA Rochester who won the fifth annual River Island Gold Award. Yesterday's Gala was a highly anticipated event with an array of fashion luminaries in attendance including models Claudia Schiffer, Erin O'Connor and designer Giles Deacon.

The Gold award, which is the most significant and prestigious prize for Graduate Fashion was greatly deserved by Mytro for her beautifully feminine, Grecian inspired, minimalist collection.

Praised for it's distinctive style, Richard Bradbury, CEO of River Island was brimming with enthusiasm for the winners' work, saying: “I thought it was a beautiful collection with a distinctive style. All the judges agreed that you would not be surprised to see this range on sale tomorrow. The quality, the attention to detail and the clarity of the focus of the collection made it hard to believe this was the work of a graduating student.”

Myrto Samou's Collection

The judges who included Lorraine Candy, editor of British Elle and fashion mogul Matthew Williamson all came the a unanimous decision that Mytro's designs were a cut above the rest embodying a certain quality parallel to that of an established designer. Mytro impressed the judges consistently enough to also walk away with the Womenswear award.

The Menswear award went to Mehmet Ali, who in describing the influences and direction of his collection won over the judges. Lorraine Candy described his design thesis as "very intelligent" and hailed him a great all rounder with a shining portfolio.

Mehmet Ali and the models with Richard Bradbury and Lorraine Candy

Other winners on the night included Charlotte Simpson who won the Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textile Award and the Fashion Innovation Award went to Nicola Morgan both graduates from Northumbria University.

The celebrities in attendance were endorsing some key trends for the season; Claudia Schiffer looked fantastic in a boyfriend blazer and nude top, Erin O'Connor and Dasha Zhukova wore statement prints, whilst Amber le Bon achieved 'Olde English' sophistication with brocade shoe boots and a tailored jacket.

Web: www.gfw.org.uk

Graduate Fashion Week 09: Highlights

Kate Huxley

Graduate fashion week kicked off on Sunday, now in its 18th year is the time when students from more than 50 universities across the UK meet for 23 shows. Quite disappointingly, I never made it the opening shows and it's heartbreaking that I may not be able to attend the highly anticipated gala tomorrow due to the tube strike currently underway. It's going to be an absolute nightmare trying to get into central London admist panicked commuters and bus replacement services!

Still, I've been getting my graduate fashion fix online. Key fashion editors have hand-picked the designers who've been grabbing the biggest attention at Sunday's show. Among the 15 collections that were showcased on the 7th of June, I have to agree with The Evening Standard's Karen Dacre when she selects Katie Huxley and Lucy Bryan as the two stand-out designers of the moment.

Both graduates from the University of East London (my old academic playground!) made a big impact with fancy flourishes of ruffles and pleats juxtaposed with strong shapes. It would seem Huxley's biggest influence for her collection was her fashion mentor Luella Bartley, who she interned with last year. The frills and sexy ruffles that were a firm fixture in her collection seemingly paid homage to Bartley's Summer collection.

Lucy Bryan

However, it was Lucy Bryan's designs that dominated the catwalk. Her sculpted dresses and voluminous jackets stole the show. Two days later and Bryan's designs remain hot topic with much critical acclaim. With leather feathers and with futuristic shapes, she showcased some uber sharp tailoring and met the high standards of a more established designer, setting the bar pretty high for the remaining fashion grads.

Another graduate who critics believe has great promise is Lynsey Roberts, she made her mark with a delectable sports luxe collection. Serving up wet-look leggings and bell sleeved jackets, Roberts achieved a look that is both edgy and elegant.

All three are believed to be strong contenders for the series of awards scheduled tomorrow. Judged by British designers Giles Deacon and Matthew Williamson, the awards gala will reveal London's brightest emerging designers selected from the 50 universities participating.

Here is my pick of the catwalk crop from Sunday's opening show:

Web: www.gfw.org.uk
Images Credit: www.thisislondon.co.uk

What's On: Graduate Fashion Week

GRADUATE FASHION WEEK OPENING TIMES
Sunday 7th, Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th: 10.30am - 7.00pm
Wednesday 10th: 10.30am – 7.30pm
Thursday 11th: 9.00am - 5.30pm

Thank God for Graduate Fashion Week! I've been desperately trying to fill the void since the fashion week in London ended. So I'll definitely be attending next week's Gala Awards Show to check out the new, up and coming designers. Graduate Fashion Week is being presented by retailer River Island and this year we will see the celebration of work by more than 1000 of the best BA Degree fashion students.

The exhibition opens to the public on Sunday the 7th of June and this event is a must-go-see for the latest emerging fashion talent. Last year, Jessica Au picked up the coveted award for her quirky eccentric collection. Off the back of her win, she currently designs for River Island and has her sights firmly set on establishing her own label and distributing internationally.

There will be some big names at the graduate fashion gala, including a star studded panel to judge the designers battling it out for the prestigious Gold Award; Fashion guru Matthew Williamson, Giles Deacon and Editor in Chief of Elle Lorraine Candy will grace the panel hot seats. The prize for this year's winner is a super sweet £20,000 and the announcement will take place on the 10th of June at Earls Court 2. Public open day tickets are available from £5.00.

Earls Court
Warwick Road
London
SW5 9TA

Web: www.gfw.org.uk