This year sees new luxury brands gather to support Graduate Fashion Foundation, the charity behind Graduate Fashion Week, the largest showcase BA talent in the world and the emerging young talent it represents.
New for 2019, LVMH and GIVENCHY are the latest leading industry leaders to get involved in the four-day event that aims to bridge the gap between graduation and employment, joining the likes of returning brands Swarovski, Ralph Lauren, L’Oréal Professionnel and Farfetch. As the leader in luxury products, the LVMH group brings together 75 truly exceptional Maisons such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, Hennessy, Guerlain, Bulgari and Sephora.
Inside the Dior atelier — photo courtesy of LVMH
Each of them creates products that embody unique savoir-faire, a carefully preserved heritage and a dynamic engagement with modernity. These creations make their Houses ambassadors of a distinctively refined art de vivre. As part of the new partnership with Graduate Fashion Week, LVMH will be present hosting a hub within the sponsorship floor. This interactive space will be set-up for graduates to visit with their portfolios to obtain advice and apply for recruitment opportunities directly from the LVMH team.
The stand will be manned daily by different Maisons, these brands include: Givenchy, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Loro Piana, Celine, Kenzo, Loewe, J.W. Anderson and Nicholas Kirkwood. As part of the partnership, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Creative Recruitment Gena Smith will be part of the jury of The Christopher Bailey Collection of The Year Award. The Group’s three fundamental values are shared by all 156,000 talents working for LVMH all over the world.
Pucci photo courtesy of LVMH
Chantal Gaemperle, EVP Human Resources & Synergies, LVMH said: “The LVMH group, along with its 75 luxury Maisons, has a strong commitment to encouraging and developing talents with diverse backgrounds. Diversity is in our Group DNA and is key to the success of our business. Graduate Fashion Week is a great opportunity for us to meet new creative talents from around the world. It provides a tremendous source of inspiration. This is why we are very happy to be, with our Maisons, part of this event”.
Within the LVMH Maisons represented, Graduate Fashion Week is especially excited to welcome the French luxury fashion house GIVENCHY as official partner for 2019. Students will have the opportunity to meet with inspiring Creative Talents on their stand and to discover new career opportunities in the design house. The French house will also have on offer more than 15 six-months paid design internships in Paris for students on site. GIVENCHY will be also hosting a talk in the GFW Live! 100 capacity talk space on Wednesday 5th June at 12noon.
The Farfetch “Positively Farfetch” campaign
Their Heritage Coordinator who has a design background will talk about how is design influenced by Heritage and how GIVENCHY built a strong heritage department where the design team can get inspired to create the new collections. Caroline de Saint Maurice, Human Resources Director at Givenchy said: “Participating in the Graduate Fashion Week this year, with our own Givenchy stand, is an amazing opportunity for us to exchange with young talents about our Maison and the career opportunities it presents. The UK is such a great place for creation and we are always looking for new creative assets to join the Givenchy family.” Graduate Fashion Week is excited to welcome back Swarovski for the third year running.
The luxury crystal brand is sponsoring a brand-new award for 2019; The Conscious Design Award. It celebrates and recognises graduates’ specific contribution to and creation of socially responsible clothing that embodies and communicates sustainable and ethical practices. The winning collection will successfully demonstrate the challenge to create a range which has strong visual and commercial catwalk impact, originality, excellence in craftsmanship and technicality as well as capturing the essence of sustainable and ethical practices. The brand will also be hosting a panel of industry experts in the GFW Live talk space on Sunday 2nd June to explore and discuss Conscious Design.
Swarovski at GFW18
The talk will cover the importance of ethically aware and socially responsible clothing and the need for designers to explore sustainable and ethical practices to help lower environmental impact in fashion. Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity. A responsible relationship with people and the planet has always been an integral part of Swarovski’s heritage, and is embedded today in the company’s well-established global sustainability agenda.
Swarovski Executive Board Member and Chairperson of the Swarovski Foundation, Nadja Swarovski, is passionate about innovation and committed to nurturing talent and supporting fashion education. Since joining the company in 1995, Nadja Swarovski has reconnected the brand with its fashion heritage while remaining true to her great-great-grandfather’s vision of doing business in a responsible way by leading and expanding the company's sustainability initiatives.
Nadja Swarovski continues her role as Lifetime Patron for the Graduate Fashion Foundation Charity. Martyn Roberts, Creative & Managing Director of Graduate Fashion Week, said: “Once again, Graduate Fashion Week is set to be an incredible showcase for some of the world’s best fashion graduates. We are extremely proud to be joined by new luxury international fashion houses and groups, who want to join and support the work of the GFF charity, as well as scout the best talent on offer from UK and International universities. “