The Young Talent of Tomorrow Design Competition 2026 Judging Day
The Graduate Fashion Foundation, supported by PVH, launched the Young Talent of Tomorrow Fashion Design Competition for creatives aged 11 to 18. To celebrate Graduate Fashion Week’s 35th anniversary, candidates were invited to delve into the archives as inspiration to design 2 fashion looks. Selected by a panel of fashion educators and industry creatives, the winners will receive tickets to Graduate Fashion Week, a creative workshop in London to bring their designs to life, and a printed showcase of their work.
The board of judges reflects a wide range of expertise across fashion education and independent creative practice. These include Emma Basso-M’Timkulu, winner of the GFW25 Fashion Illustration Award; Jasmine Broadhurst, from The Fashion School London CIC; Juliet Grabner, Head of Art at Caldicot Art and Design; Rodrigo Strazds, 2025 winner of the Young Talent Competition; Zoe Thompson, Zine-maker and founder of Sweet Thang Zine; Vanessa Weibel, V&A museum Schools & Colleges Senior Producer; Sharon Williams, Programme Lead, BA Fashion Design at the University of Southampton. Bringing a wide range of talent and experience: from illustration and zine-making to teaching and industry, we offer young designers a supportive and informed panel to exhibit their work to. Meeting at Whitechapel Gallery, the judges reviewed submissions from students studying textiles, art, and design subjects, with the aim of discovering emerging talent.
“The importance of competitions like this is to give young people that opportunity to share what they do, how they do it, and their incredible skills.”
One winner and two runners-up have been selected across the age categories: Year 7-9, Year 10-11, and Year 12-13! The Young Talent of Tomorrow Competition was a great success, our judging panel was impressed and highlighted the imagination and skill of the young designers.
Watch this space for the winner announcement!