Last night Graduate Fashion Week came to a close and I was there at the Gala show to rub shoulders with big names in fashion (ok, I sat four rows behind them and eyeballed them with awe while drinking the free champagne). Regardless of the sticky, sauna-like conditions in the tent (the fans in the goodie bags came in very useful) the likes of Mary Quant, Zandra Rhodes, Jimmy Choo, Jeff Banks and (swoon) Christopher Bailey were all there to check out the next big things in fashion and watch a stunned Hilary Alexander ("I thought you were talking about Suzy Menkes!") pick up a special awards for...well, being Hilary Alexander.
The awards were dominated by a few names. Northumbria scooped 4 gongs, including the coveted River Island Gold Award - a highly competitive category which proved the menswear market has nothing to worry about; the winner and the two highly commended designers all created mens collection. My old stomping ground - The London College of Fashion - scooped the top media and journalism awards, as well as picking up a well-deserved textiles award for the quirky Win-Sei Yau and her rainbow creations. Following closely behind with two awards a piece were Ravensbourne and Kingston.
See over the cut for the full results (excuse any spelling mistakes. Poor Kim had the tough job of deciphering my handwriting while I was at the Royal College of Art show. More on that later...)
River Island Gold Award:
James Lawrence, Northumbria University
River Island Gold Award - Highly Commended:
Masa Hati, Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication
Liam Jackson, Manchester Metropolitan University
Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textiles Award:
Emma Mudford, University of Northampton
Visionary Knitwear Award:
Abbie Storey, Winchester School of Art, Southampton University
Special Award:
Hilary Alexander, Daily Telegraph
MEDIA & DESIGN AWARDS:
Strategic Marketing Award:
Irene Burley, Northumbria University
Creative Marketing Award:
Neil Bennett, Central Lancashire
Dalziel & Pow Stand Design Award:
Kingston University
Jon Adams Fashion Portfolio Award:
Ella Jones, Kingston University
Textile Award:
Win-Sei Yau, London College of Fashion
Accessories Award:
Michelle Alexander, Northumbria University
Fashion Imagery Award:
Anna Murray, Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication
"First Word" Journalism Award:
Helen Sharpe, London College of Fashion
The Hearst Corporation Media & Design Award:
Hannah Reed, London College of Fashion
River Island Brand Development Award:
Claire O'Reilly, Northumbria University
