The annual Graduate Preview Day saw 25 colleges from around the UK attend and showcase the portfolios of their graduating students. Their work was reviewed by a judging panel of industry experts headed by Chair of the Colleges Council Anne Tyrrell, and included Adam Kelly, Selfridges; Hannah White, Fashion Monitor; Jacqui Ma, WGSN and Marios Schwab.
“The calibre of this year's portfolios has been excellent and demonstrates the breadth of talent of both the students and the colleges. The contacts the colleges gain from the day are extremely beneficial to their graduates and we've seen an incredible attendance here today, with representatives from Abercrombie & Fitch, Burberry, Alfred Dunhill, Harrods, Paul Costelloe, Matches, Max Mara and Topshop.” - Anne Tyrrell, Chair of the Colleges Council.
Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, said, “Graduate Preview Day is an exceptional showcase of work from this year's graduating students. It's a unique opportunity for British designers, retailers and industry experts to see the portfolio's first hand and get a taste of the upcoming talent that will be entering the industry.”
Royal College of Art, winner of the Fashion Monitor Colleges Portfolio Award, will win two one year subscriptions for their best students to Fashion Monitor, the industry's leading provider of contacts, news and events. The judging panel felt their entry demonstrated the best overall presentation of the students' work.
Hannah White, Fashion Monitor Editor, commented, “This is the second year we've been involved with the initiative and it's really great to see how the students work has progressed. We felt the Royal College of Art demonstrated a really strong, well rounded body of work and the individual styles of the students shone through."
The WGSN Digital Presentation Award recognises the increasing relevance of integrating fashion and technology and was won by London College of Fashion.
The winner of the BFC Fashion Illustration Award in association with Fashion Monitor, University of Westminster, will also win two one year subscriptions which will allow the graduating students access to key industry contacts, something which is invaluable for breaking into the industry.
The BFC Colleges Council Graduate Preview Day is organised by the British Fashion Council to foster relationships between graduates and industry. The annual event brings together industry insiders from media, recruitment, retail, design, manufacturing, sales, marketing and PR to preview the work of graduating students who will be entering the job market later in the year. This year the Graduate Preview Day was held at The Mayfair Hotel.
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