The next gen, Grad Fashion Week 17.
The Truman Brewery was buzzing; a heady mix of graduates, industry professionals and prospective students for this year's Graduate Fashion Week.
It was my first ever experience of Graduate Fashion Week and I was kindly invited by my former institute, Norwich University of the Arts. The 3 day event, 4-7th June is held at the Truman Brewery, East London. It is open to the public and tickets are still available for today.
Graduate Fashion Week is a showcase of the finest graduate fashion work from across the UK.
Before and after NUA’s show, I wandered around the stands. With me having a strong interest in interior and product design, I found myself drawn to the construction and presentation of the apparel.
Then, at 2pm, we took our seats for the catwalk show. 18 NUA students presented their collections in turn.
The craftmanship, consideration and quality was evident.
Sat opposite me were the judges and, of course, the packed show was also made up of prospective employers. You could sense the significance of the day – the atmosphere represented the fact this marked the next stage of their respective careers and futures.
Knowing we were watching the next generation of tastemakers was exciting in itself. I’d like to think one day I may wear couture from one of these designers.
Interspersed throughout the day were/are industry-specific talks from industry leaders. I caught the tail end of M&S discussing the importance of social media in the marketing mix, which was particularly interesting and informative.
If you’d like to see highlights from the 2017 graduate fashion week or would like to sign up for next year, read more here.
I strongly recommend you go, see their work and be inspired by the next gen.
Thanks again to Norwich University of the Arts and massive congratulations to this year’s cohort.
Words and photography by Fiona Burrage.
