***UPDATE: Alberta Ferretti will be the International member of the jury of the 19th River Island Gold Award 2010, which will be awarded to the winning designer on 9 June. "I am excited to be part of this amazing event: young designers that graduate from British schools always stand out for their freedom of expression and passion for research," she says. Good luck to all those taking part.
Graduate Fashion Week is the UK's largest showcase of young fashion talent, which stages a static exhibition displaying the work of some 50 universities across 52 courses - plus approximately 22 university fashion shows - each June.
Be advised that this is no PTA-style affair. Renowned fashion photographer Rankin has hopped aboard the good ship GFW for 2010, shooting a series of campaign pictures (which were styled by top fashion editor Katie Shillingford, see left) to highlight the event.
"I really enjoyed this shoot. There was a stunning array of truly innovative and often outrageous design, and stylist Katie Shillingford did a great job of choosing the top 10 looks," he says. "It was incredibly easy to shoot the clothes - each piece was so beautiful and full of character. I'm sure among the 2010 graduates we will see a designer that will catch the fashion world's imagination!"
Graduate Fashion Week will take up its usual residence at Earl's Court 2 between 6 and 10 June, and be underwritten for the sixth consecutive year by River Island. In its own mini-celebration, the high street stalwart has appointed fierce and fabulous musician Kelis - fresh from promoting her new album Flesh Tone - as the face of its Graduate Fashion Week collection: a special capsule of pieces created by former GFW participants working at River Island, available in selected stores and online now.
"People need help and encouragement when they're starting out. That's why I think what River Island is doing with fashion graduates is so great," says the lady herself. "I don't want to look like everybody else, you know?"
We certainly do. That's why we've got our tickets already. See you there?
Picture, clockwise from top left: Lisa Marie Jones, University of Wales; Rebecca Thomson, Manchester Metropolitan University; Carly Ellis, University of Westminster; Kitty Keay, Colchester School of Art; Sera Ulger, Ravensbourne College; Anna Lee, De Montfort University.
