Graduate Fashion Week couldn’t happen without the help of our amazing partners. Alongside returning Headline Partner Tu, this year sees the return of size?, L’Oréal Professionnel, YKK, TikTok and ASOS to the partnership roster, as well as the continued support of Samsung KX and Coal Drops Yard as hosts for the main GFW event.
Gymshark, Illamasqua, Cass Art, Delicate Rebéllion & Visualist are the latest leading brands to get involved with the foundation and the week-long event that aims to support the transition from education to employment.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Graduate Fashion Foundation are excited to welcome back for the fourth year, streetwear specialists size? who are supporting the ‘Footwear Award’. size? will be joined exclusively by partners Converse to judge the award in June, as well as hosting a live panel talk with key figures from the global brand. size?’s involvement this year centres around celebrating their size? Syllabus, a collaboration with UK university's fashion and creative departments, offering live briefs and industry access, guidance and critique, giving participating students a unique opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge with one the world's leading streetwear retailers. Talks will be live-streamed to audiences watching from home on the new Graduate Fashion Week event hub.
New for 2021, Leading UK fitness apparel and accessories brand Gymshark join GFF, supporting on the ‘Sportswear & Leisurewear Award’. The brand which celebrates its fitness and conditioning community is the ideal pairing for the award which will see the head office design and marketing team join to judge. Furthermore, Gymshark will hold a talk on Friday 18th June in the ‘GFW Live’ talk space with senior team members.
L’Oréal Professionnel returns as ‘Official Hair Partner’ for Graduate Fashion Week with a talented stylist team, creating the iconic catwalk hair for all 12 runway shows taking place over the event. A champion of emerging talent, L’Oréal Professionnel has been supporting GFW since 2007 and believes beautiful hair can empower everyone to be the best version of themselves. A true pioneer, the brands put performance right at its heart and creates the perfect looks to elevate innovative graduate collections.
Premium make-up brand Illamasqua join for 2021 as the ‘Official Make-Up partner’ for Graduate Fashion Week, supporting with their high-performing colour pigment and distinctive eye-catching products, which will pop on the catwalk to compliment graduate collections. Graduate Fashion Foundation are delighted that Global Director of Makeup Artistry for Illamasqua, Pablo Rodriguez, will not only be holding a talk as part of ‘GFW Live’ but will also host a masterclass for the make-up artists from Solent University’s renowned BA Hons Make-Up & Hair Design degree course who will provide all make-up looks across the shows, giving them invaluable experience.
Sponsoring the ‘Accessories Award’ for the seventh-year running is YKK; global providers of fastening solutions for creative industry. The Accessories Award looks for a modern directional approach to the accessories arena, covering millinery, shoes, bags, belts and jewellery. This autumn the YKK London Showroom will be hosting an exhibition of winning graduates work from the GFW winners. The YKK team and Ambassador Kei Kagami will be onsite at GFW giving students the opportunity to learn more on the brand and to scout talent. YKK has also been supporting the charities UK member universities with access to free zips and fastenings for final year students to complete their collection with alongside running the #TagYourYKK social media competition where a weekly winner receives a £50 prize.
Creative video sharing network TikTok, return to support Graduate Fashion Foundation for the second year running with the exclusive Merchandise Residency competition which sees 60 students attend a professional manufacturing week this July. Alongside the competition, new for 2021, TikTok are supporting the New Fashion Media Award which celebrates the voice of a new generation, awarding innovative projects in app development, websites, blogs, online channels and social media strategy. The TikTok Marketing and Partnership teams will be joining to judge the award on the 3rd June.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Independent magazine Delicate Rebéllion celebrates creativity and the curious collective at its heart. New for 2021 they join to support the newly renamed Terry Mansfield Fashion Publication Award, which has been named in honour of Former NatMags Chief Exec and previous Graduate Fashion Foundation Chairman Terry Mansfield CBE. The award celebrates inspiring and innovative fashion publications that resonate with the industry and its intended audience. Judges include; Hannah Taylor – Founder and Editor of Delicate Rebéllion, Yomi Adegoke – Journalist and Author, Isabella Silvers – Associate Editor at Hearst Magazines & GFF Ambassador and Digital Journalist and Fashion Features Writer at Vogue Italia Chidozie Obasi.
Returning to support the Digital Fashion Portfolio Award is British online fashion powerhouse ASOS. The ASOS team will be joining to judge the award on the 3rd June which will award the best well-executed, contemporary and professionally presented digital fashion portfolio that demonstrates an individual and creative identity, whilst communicating a thinking process from the concept ideas, through their development to the final presentation and layout. The recruitment and design team will also be onsite at GFW scouting for the freshest talent to join their team.
Premium Italian accessories brand Crisden partners with GFF once again, supporting the International Artefacts Award, with three winners in areas of; Fashion Product Design, Concept and Materials & Embellishment. The judging panel will be selecting the winners from digital entries due to the pandemic and travel restriction from this year’s International university members. The award highlights the important area of contribute to the research and development of not only shoes and bags, but the wider perspective of this exciting area of international fashion.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
New for 2021, Visualist the new productivity suite for fashion creatives join Graduate Fashion Week to create bespoke video content for the live-stream event platform which will appear on the official GFW schedule. Visualist aim to make creative collaboration delightful and intuitive and is a creative's personal library, studio, and showcase. This year they join GFW to produce insightful designer diaries with the Class of 2021 and exclusive ‘30 Questions for GFW 30th Anniversary’ content with GFF’s fashionable Lifetime Patrons and Global Ambassadors.
Cass Art, the UK’s leading art supplies retailer is committed to encouraging everyone to realise their creative talents and will be joining the Graduate Fashion Foundation to support the Fashion Illustration Award with the winner receiving not only Cass Art Gift Vouchers but the offer of a two-week exhibition within one of Cass Art’s UK wide Art Spaces as well as elevating the winning student across their social channels.
Further thanks goes to Graduate Fashion Foundation 2021 competition and prize partners who ran exclusive opportunities for the Class of 2021 students. These include; Coats Sustainability Competition, Shelter Activism Competition, Wrangler Indigood Marketing Competition, Lee Jeans Marketing Competition, W1 Curates Image Making Competition and the FACE (Fashion Academics Creating Equality) Black Excellence Prize. All activations will be live during Graduate Fashion Week. Additionally Can O Water for supplying Graduate Fashion Week with resealable recyclable water and for providing refreshments in the VIP Judges lounge, backstage & showroom and Assembly Hub for creation and support of the new live-stream event and profile portal.
Special thanks go to Coal Drops Yard and its retailers, London’s newest shopping and food hotspot and the home for Graduate Fashion Week 2021, plus at the heart of Coal Drops Yard Samsung KX, the Hub of Innovation, which will be championing culture, creativity and ground breaking thinking that both fashion graduates and Samsung are renowned for. Industry tickets and live stream registration are available now online and open to everyone with a passion for fashion and design.