The revision of the Graduate Fashion Foundation 2020 Awards reflects the national change to all UK member’s final year student’s delivery of their final degree projects, now being completed from home. Our awards which are now live, have always been an important part of who we are as a Foundation, it allows us to highlight the very best in graduating talent and award excellence.
Graduate Fashion Foundation has been gathering feedback from our members to readdress the award submission and criterions to make them as fair as possible around the constraints of work that had already been completed within the final year of their degree, and the facilities that students have available to them during the lockdown.
Addressing the factors that have affected manufacturing courses, the charity has taken the decision to remove the five catwalk awards this year due to the halt in manufacturing and the closure of university studios and facilities. The awards have been replaced with four new awards, these are; Fashion Illustration Award, Fashion Range Plan Award, Technical Drawing Award and Fashion Concept Award. Additionally, for the class of 2020 we have introduced the Adaptation Award to celebrate student’s resourcefulness and problem-solving skills during this unprecedented time.
The top ten student shortlists for each award will be announced on Wednesday 10th June, with final judging taking place in July, winners will be announced in the Autumn.
Graduate Fashion Foundation is honoured to announce it will be supported by Samsung KX. For students, Graduate Fashion Week is the pinnacle of their academic life that they all work tirelessly towards being showcased in front of the industry (and their family!) and maybe win one of the prestigious awards that celebrate the students work. With many of their university fashion shows also cancelled, the 2020 year group have been left bitterly disappointed and unsure of how their degrees will conclude. Therefore, finding alternative platforms to showcase the incredible talent of tomorrow has been critical.
As part of this we are delighted that we will be working with Samsung KX to host online nominations for the Graduate Fashion Week Innovation Award, with the possibility of a physical celebration later this year at its spectacular venue in London’s Coal Drops Yard. As the Home of Innovation, we are excited to celebrate work with a refreshing and innovative direction with ground-breaking thinking that the UK and Samsung are renowned for. This incredible space that celebrates culture and innovation could not be more suited to showcase and celebrate the talent of tomorrow. Graduate Fashion Week are extremely excited to be working with Samsung KX and celebrate the exceptional BA Fashion talent we have here in the UK.