Graduate Fashion Week 2008

Graduate Fashion Week will celebrate the work of more than 1000 of the finest BA Degree fashion students from 49 member universities across the UK, for the biggest showcase of young talent in the world. Graduate Fashion Week is now a firm fixture in the diaries of those in the know. Last year some of our fashionable guests included Victoria Beckham, Lanvin's Alber Elbaz, Glenda Bailey of Harpers Bazaar USA, Mulberry’s Stuart Vevers, Zandra Rhodes, Jimmy Choo OBE, Liberty’s Design Director Tamara Salman, Hilary Alexander (Daily Telegraph), Sophia Neophitou (10 Magazine), Suzy Menkes (International Herald Tribune), Colin McDowell (Sunday Times Style) and Clare Waight Keller (Pringle).

What's new for 2008 :

This year, Graduate Fashion Week moves to Earls Court 2 from Sunday, 8 June to Thursday, 12 June 2008. The new Graduate Fashion Week Education Day on Thursday, 12 June, will target 14-18 year old school children and those at FE Colleges. The day will be dedicated to the universities promoting their individual courses and will invite schools from all over the UK to bring groups of interested students for a packed day of research, catwalk shows and careers education.

To ensure that absolutely none of the event’s exceptional catwalk talent is missed, an extra step in the selection process for the River Island Gold Award will be added for 2008. An elite industry panel will be requested to join the audience at the university shows every day (changing each day) with the mission of highlighting what they consider to be the hottest collection from each show. This information will then be passed on to relevant course leaders to help in their final selection for nominees. In addition the nominated collections from the Pringle Visionary Knitwear Award and Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textile Awards will also join the selection process to be short listed for the final 10 collection for the River Island Gold Award. The final ten collections are then reviewed and the students put through a really gruelling interview process by the always expert and prestigious River Island Gold Award judges. Judges will again be asked to select a menswear and womenswear award winner, in addition to the River Island Gold Award Winner.

A brand new addition for 2008, the Fashion Innovation Award, will embrace every area of the GFW remit from catwalk to exhibition/product development to new techniques in thinking and manufacture. Colleges will be invited to submit one entry only and it has been designed to provide a symbolic bridge between the existing divisions in what we do.

ADMISSION - GRADUATE FASHION WEEK DAYS JUNE 8TH - 11TH

EXHIBITION ONLY: £10.00 (No advance booking) UNIVERSITY SHOW: £10.00 + £2.50 handling charge (if purchased in advance) including admission to the exhibition. GALA SHOW ONE 5.30 pm: (June 11th only) £25.00 + £2.50 handling charge.

Tickets for all University shows and the 5.30pm Gala Show are now available on line. Go to www.gfw.org.uk

TICKETS FOR THE EDUCATION DAY, JUNE 12, CAN ONLY BE PURCHASED VIA THE TICKET HOTLINE 01903 885 748.