Meet the GFF 2020 Fashion Publication Award Nominees
Project submissions are sought from students producing inspiring and innovative digital fashion publications that resonate with the Industry and intended audience. Students should demonstrate quality of writing, imagery, layout design and a professional standard of production. Meet the nominees below!
Beth Wilson, Northumbria University
FLUSSO is a print and digital zine published annually, alongside a landing page website and a visuals based Instagram account aiming to build a community among marginalised creatives. The ethos of FLUSSO is to be messy and disrupt western society’s expectations and standards within fashion, art, and culture. It creates and showcases editorial photography and art direction, cinematic film, and both written and spoken word to celebrate subjectivity as a foundation for an inclusive universal gaze. It will carry the ethos throughout every issue, however, will be explored abstractly and creatively - allowing for innovation and discovery. Each issue of FLUSSO ZINE is designed as a moment in time where this mattered. (FLUSSO is Italian for “flow/change”).
Colleen Considine, University for the Creative Arts Epsom
Grafter is a bi-annual publication with no focus on gender. Looking to real life, people outside the bubble of London. Raw working-class people, documenting British life in a true window. Using brutal opinion to look to culture as a whole, encapsulating the time we find ourselves in. From the very beginning I understood in order to have a voice in writing you have to look at everything from every angle. The ini- tial idea was to create a comedy magazine. However, as things in culture evolved, the magazine shifted toward a more serious tone. We need writers who are honest about things, even bad.There needs to be a magazine which directly informs you of a given opinion. Looking to the landscape of life to form a well-balanced viewpoint with an insight into photography, art and music. Politics, religion and class issues are a focal point of the magazine.
Ella Kenneally, Manchester Metropolitan University
W O M A N U P is a collection of 3 projects exploring women in male dominated spaces. Within the first two projects I explore the world of women and male dominated sports, and aim to celebrate the sportswomen of the North and how these women are challenging gender roles and stereotypes and what it means to be a woman in the world of sport today. Only 4% of printed and digital sports coverage is dedicated to women’s sport. W O M A N U P is changing that statistic and is a new platform for Sportswomen in the North of England.
I am currently developing and expanding the brand of W O M A N U P from women in male dominated sports to encompassing women in other male dominated spaces. For vol.03, W O M A N U P is branching out into the world of Women and Male dominated Music and dissecting the way the industry views gender. W O M A N U P is a protest to the commonly thrown about phrases: “a girl can’t or shouldn’t do that” or “you’re not bad for a girl”. W O M A N U P is making a statement and we want to be heard, these women are marking their territory in the North of England.
Emily Batters, Southampton Solent University
VAuLT magazine entails everything there is to know about the pre-loved designer and vintage luxury market. VAuLT takes you to the polar side of the second-hand industry to where it becomes an art form and a desirable lifestyle. We give our readership the exclusive access code to unlocking the secrets of the VAuLT.
VAuLT is the only magazine in the fashion industry that focuses solely on the subject of vintage designer and pre-loved luxury and this is what makes it a unique and innovative product. It steps out of the comfort zone of the ordinary second-hand market, offering a fresh and up-to-date, forward-looking view on the industry. In world where sustainability is rife and individuality is key, shoppers look for unique ways to shop whilst satisfying the above two criteria, pre-loved luxury offers this solution.
Fauve Wright, Northumbria University
Screwball is a publication about the weird, wonderful, and slightly scary aspects of life. With each issue focusing on empowering a different fear, it’s for the eccentric, the intrigued, but also just the self proclaimed Plain Janes. We’re all a bit screwed deep down, whether we care to admit it or not. Flicking through Screwball is like lining up to go on a rollercoaster. ere will be bits you want to close your eyes for, moments you’ll feel like you can take on the world, and times you feel so uncomfortable you want to get o – but can’t. At the end you’ll be relieved, but you also can’t stop yourself coming back for more. Drawing on loathing and lust in equal measure, Screwball is presented with uniqueness and individuality at its core and is constantly working to bring society’s ‘screwballs’ to light.
Hannah Greenway, Birmingham City University
Aila Magazine is an illustrated magazine designed to empower, educate, and encourage young women (anyone who identifies as female) to be the best versions of themselves. Aila contains self-help activities focused around self-love and confidence, articles from other women and their experiences, poetry, recipes, tips, advice, and more. The aim at Aila magazine is to empower, educate, and encourage the young women of today to be the best versions of themselves. For decades women have been subjected to unrealistic beauty ideals and expectations. Aila magazine is real and relatable. Traditional dating columns and glamorous photo-shoots are being pushed to the back of the queue, making way for more important conversations such as the value of friendship and body con- dence. Aila is ditching photography for quirky illustrations so there’s no room for compari- son. Aila is taking the pressure off young women and providing an overdue alternative. Aila is an original idea as it is a fully illustrated magazine aimed at women, market research has shown there is a lack of other fully illustrated magazines currently on the market.
Jack Shanks, Heriot-Watt University
Jack Shanks’ work is a coming of age story, part childhood memoir, part autobiographical voyage of self discovery, an exploration of his queer identity and of understanding and acceptance. Jack's photography reflects the confusion of growing up feeling ‘other’ and the need for a sense of belonging and the two stories presented here represent different episodes in his life, one referencing childhood freedom and familial love and security, contrasted with confusion, isolation and bullying. Shoot two depicts a teenager trying to ‘fit in with the boys’ and again experiencing feelings of alienation with the realisation that he feels juxtaposed to his entire environment. The personal stories which inspire Jacks work reflect pertinent contemporary issues and debate within gender, identity and politics.
Jasmine Guioua, Arts University Bournemouth
A print/online publication takes inspiration from current and past social issues surrounding the class system and the institutionalized classism that exists in today’s society. Heavily inspired by the industry’s systematic class issue and the authenticity of working-class culture, the magazine aims to bring a raw and real image of working-class life and opinions. Focusing on tactile elements, such as handwritten pages and candid images, brings together an authentic and low- mood throughout. Traditional workwear largely inspires the colour scheme, uorescent oranges and greens pay homage to workman’s wear and t with the bold voice apparent throughout the publication. Working closely with upcoming creatives, the publication acts as a collective of ideas to build a community of like-minded creatives to hone in it’s DIY image. Drawing from British realism and the early zines of Harmony Korine, the publication plays around with the idea of mess and imperfection giving it a low- yet polished feel.
Kit Bacon, University of the West of England
CHThirteen is an annually printed publication, focusing on technological advancements that have made waves within fashion that year, revolutionising industry practices. CHThirteen is unlike any other publication on the market. Through the exploration of modern technology and through the use of 2D and 3D elements, the pages come to life through a Instagram-led Augmented Reality experience. The core concept of CHThirteen is to take the visuals beyond face value - merging traditional print media with technological advancements to elevate the reading experience to be unique and personal to each reader.
Maryam Ashfaq, Leeds Arts University
I aim to use my title “Letter to my Opressors” to push boundaries with my narrative and showcase the profiles of us you don’t often see alongside narratives that tell the truth and is not capitalising off colour; appropriating or white washing. I aim to narrate alternate perspectives on the “racial profile” in an artful way. To come away from the stereotypes of people of colour so often told in the media. Most of the stories that are often told are not true to an authentic narrative or are used to highlight a community, and most often in a negative way. So my philosophy is to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Shola Forbes, University of Leeds
Within the global haircare market, black women’s needs are severely underrep- resented and they are more likely to be overexposed to harmful chemicals and ingredients. CURLS + FROS are here with a solution. We represent the market’s rst personalised hair consultation service that provides black women with a highly customised assessment and safe product range for their individual textural needs. As a purpose-led brand, we exist to provide a solution for the greatest economic contributors to the global hair care industry. A group so valuable yet so overlooked in the market.
From my initial product development and app consultation concept to a full brand realisation, my publication creatively details the introduction of my disruptive inno- vation into the haircare market. Inclusive of emotive, sensory and technologically innovative strategies, my marketing campaigns champion and celebrate my target audience, whilst simultaneously demonstrating how we accurately address their hair care needs. Ultimately, my publication displays CURLS + FROS commitment to uplifting black women’s representation and fulling a need that is long overdue within the black community.
Vimbai Mbanje, Birmingham City University
Contributing to the upsurge of black culture and spreading awareness of the everyday experiences of black people has been an integral aim of for my graduate project. It is imperative that we shed light and educate both majority and minority groups on matters affecting the black community within the fashion industry. This is the foundation on which the final project is built on. Sonke, from my Ndebele mother tongue meaning “together, all of us, as one” is a publication built to bring all women of colour together while highlighting our experiences.