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celebrating twenty one years of graduate fashion week

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21contents

/ 4 / The Key to Sucess

/ 5 / Who’s the Daddy?

/ 6 / Mary Katrantzou

/ 8 / Michael Van Der Ham

/ 9 / Primadonna Boy

/ 10 / Backroom Boyz

/ 11 / Mentorship

/ 12 / WGSN Trends

/ 14 / 2011: Winners, Where are they now?

/ 16 / J JS Lee

/ 17 / The Devil Pays Nada

/ 18 / Be your own boss

/ 20 / Style Tribe

/ 22 / Fashion Into the Light

/ 30 / Color Me Beautiful

/ 34 / 21 Beauty

/ 36 / The Write Stuff

/ 38 / Buyer’s Eye

/ 40 / Top Tips

// publisher / Carol Aquino // editor-in-chief / laura Natalie Hawkins // managing editor / Glyn Darcy Rive // editor-at-large / Madeleine Goubau //

creative directors / nassia matsa + Youngeun So // fashion directors / kate white + Irene Ojo-Felix // Features Editor / Hannah Banks-Walker + Anastasia Miari

// Chief Sub Editor / Francesca Bradshaw + William De Martigny Booth // Production Editor / Tia Hall-Davis // deputy publisher / Bojana Kozarevic // University Liason / Chloe Fosbrook + Tia Hall-Davis // Al

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editorial team

21Editor’s Letter

This year Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) celebrates its 21st birthday, and what a grow-ing-up process it has been. With the likes of Christopher Bailey, Stella McCartney and Giles

Deacon marching through its doors, GFW celebrates the best of young talent across thewhole spectrum of the fashion industry, from design to entrepreneurship, marketing to

journalism. In 21 we celebrate past and present graduating talent with exclusive interviews from giants in the design and journalism industries, last year’s GFW winners and two shoots

with this year’s fashion design graduates. With advice and tips from industry experts including business mentors , buyers and editors, 21 is the perfect tool not only for GFW, but

for graduates as they enter the competitive world of fashion.

Laura Natalie HawkinsEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

This year, Graduate Fashion Week not only celebrates the freshest young designers but also its twenty-first birthday

The Key to Success

Turning twenty-one famously bestows that great power of the proverbial key to the door. It is a declaration to the world that you have come of age, that you have left your young ways behind you and that you are taking your life in a clear direction. This year, Graduate Fashion Week turns twenty-one and it’s ready to show you just how far its come… It all began when founder Jeff Banks re-ceived a letter from Fred Spur, a student at the Brighton College of Art. ‘He wrote and said that it was unfair that London colleges had the opportunity to show to major London journalists and to the world press while regional colleges didn’t have that opportunity’, says Banks. Wanting to provide this platform, he worked closely with fashion headhunter Vanessa Denza and show producer John Walford to create Graduate Fashion Week. GFW showcases the newest and most talented designers from colleges across Britain, presenting them to the industry and potential employers, while also introducing the graduates to their peers. ‘It gives students the opportunity to meet each other, show together and work together. Most importantly, it gives them the chance to improve their standards’, says Banks. ‘All the friends and contacts that you make at school are important’ reiterates Christopher Bailey, who won the very first GFW award in 1991 and has since gone on to become the Chief Creative Officer at Burberry.

The pedigree of the competition has been

maintained throughout the years by winners who have now become inter-nationally recognised; names such as Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Matthew Williamson and Antonio Berardi. It is impossible to imagine their level of success had they not received a GFW award. Last year’s Gold Award Winner Rory Longdon understands the significance GFW will have on his career: ‘It was so overwhelming to be awarded such a prestigious award for a collection that I put all my heart into. Winning the award has definitely opened up more doors to me for my future’. GFW provides the winners with the key to open the door to their dream career, while the success of GFW itself is reliant on the commitment of its team and the generosity of sponsorship. Though it is a charity, GFW receives no government funding- but this has proven to be no obstacle. Previous sponsors of the event include River Island, Topshop, BHS and Espirit, but this year, the main sponsor is George at Asda. ‘George is an appropriate bedfellow because it is a company that has both the funding and the ethics to constantly improve its offer ‘says Banks. This attitude of improvement is one that permeates GFW. In the last twenty-one years, the event has been getting better and better, and the support and encouragement given to

the graduates is at its strongest yet. GFW has spread its reach beyond the UK to now include colleges from Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan and Paris, while also developing the Protégé Project, which provides companies with an opportunity to help students enter the industry. Birthdays not only call for reflection on what you have achieved but also on where you would like to go, next and in the next year, GFW is taking a new direction. ‘On its twenty-first birthday it has grown up, it has the keys to the door. It’s time to start flexing its muscles’ says Banks. Having enjoyed a successful run with former organisers Terry Mansfield and June Barker, who have dealt with the growing pains and brought GFW to where it is today, the event is now under the new instruction of chairman Robert Tem-pleman, also Chairman of the British Retail Consortium, who is working with event director Martyn Roberts. ‘They are two catalysts who are making GFW more professional, slicker, and more acceptable to fashion companies. They want to move GFW in a new direction’, enthuses Banks. ‘This is the last year of GFW as it is and I am really looking forward to GFW as it is going to be’. So are we, Mr Banks. So are we…

Graduate Fashion Week 2012 runs from 10th-13th of June at Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre. // www.gfw.org.uk

BY GLYN DARCY RIVE

BY GLYN DARCY RIVE

Zandra Rhodes Award winner

VB & other judges

Gala 2008

Last year’s Gold Award Winner Rory Longdon

4

‘‘It’s bloody brilliant!” enthuses Jeff Banks, talking about

the fashion industry in London. Sitting in his office

surrounded by his latest collection, which he himself is sporting,

Banks knows what he’s talking about. With a career in fashion

spanning five decades, a selection of accolades and awards, and

a number of successful business ventures, this man’s

opinion – which has caused him a fair bit of trouble in the past –

deserves to be heard.

‘There are a lot of people in the fashion industry who

don’t like my outspokenness. It’s considered too forthright’.

Perhaps if it hadn’t been for Banks’s direct talk and focused

attitude, he wouldn’t be where he is today – owner of his

eponymous label and the Incorporatewear brand as well as

being British Designer of the Year twice over in 1979 and 1981.

He must look back on his career with a great sense of pride.

‘I don’t look back. The highlight always is the next new

thing, the next adventure so I don’t actually look back and think,

“that was great”. Once something is done, I just look forward.

I enjoy the thrill of the chase of something new. I tend to look

back more on missed opportunities, things I should have done

and didn’t do; things I could have done and done better’.

What about in 2009 when he was made Commander

of the British Empire for his contribution to fashion as part of

Queen’s birthday honours, surely he is proud of that? ‘It’s a mark

of respect for the industry, rather than being personal. It’s great

that our industry gets recognised, that design gets recognised.

I don’t look on it as a personal gift; it’s more of a benchmark

really’.

His frank opinions are perfectly balanced by his sense

of modesty. Though he has made a successful career in fashion,

Banks never intended to become the household name that he is

today: ‘I just couldn’t get a job anywhere else!’ he laughs.

‘I tumbled into it by accident. I trained as a textile designer but

couldn’t get a job as one so I opened a small shop and the shop

took off, so I had to start designing and making clothes to fill the

shop. I’m kind of an accidental tourist’.

A happy accident it may have been but Banks was well

prepared for it with his training at Central Saint Martins. Again,

whenever he is forced to reflect on his past, he does so with

humility. ‘One didn’t actually feel it was important at all. It was

very adventurous but nobody believed that what they were

doing would become iconic. I wish I had taken things more

seriously. Everything in the early 60s was quite flippant and you

never thought the good times would come to an end. Whatever

you dreamt of, you could do. I wish I had recognised the

opportunities that had floated my way and treated them more

seriously’.

He adds: ‘People who are at college now who really

believe in themselves can see massive horizons and great

opportunities because all around them they can see these

planetary developments in design and organization that didn’t

used to exist. Young people today are more equipped to grasp

opportunities. I think many people are disenfranchised with the

difficulty of getting the opportunity but there are an awful lot

that can actually see the massive opportunities that exist in a

lot of areas’.

One opportunity that Banks did seize, however, was to

create Graduate Fashion Week, having been approached by a

student who was upset that regional colleges didn’t have a

platform to display their work like those in London did. The

self-depreciation appears again when asked why he thought the

student chose to contact him: ‘He saw a sucker! No, I suppose

since I’m quite active in extended education, he thought I would

be someone who could make waves’. And indeed he did. Now

celebrating its twenty-first year, GFW is a highlight in the fashion

calendar. ‘It feels like we are celebrating a twenty-first birthday,

you know, when you’re relieved that you got there and surprised

you made it so far. It’s still the only thing of its kind in the world.

There isn’t another fashion week like it anywhere else on the

planet. It’s the only one’.

Banks continues: ‘The biggest benefit of GFW has been

a lot of small universities coming on board and watching the

quality of their courses rise as a part of playing in the big league

and watching the development of their courses to give

greater opportunities to students’. And surely, only a unique

event would be appropriate for the fashion that comes out of

the UK.

‘British fashion is unique in its inventiveness. Really, it’s the

place where fashion as we know it started. Britain is important in

fashion because it was there right at the beginning, years before

New York or Milan fashion week. And culturally, Britain has much

more depth about where the roots of fashion have come from in

terms of diversity of population, of art, of history’.

This year, as well as being involved in GFW and expand-

ing his business internationally, Banks has also found the time

to design the opening ceremony clothes for the Olympic athletes

from Belize, the smallest country competing in the games this

year. ‘They were struggling with a lot of issues and we have been

able to help them. I just keep my fingers crossed that they will be

really proud when they walk into that Olympic stadium in the kit

that we’ve designed for them’. Behind every great man is great

motivation. With his philanthropic endeavours such as GFW and

the Olympic uniforms, what is the force driving Banks? ‘Guilt.

I suppose I feel very guilty for being lucky enough to have been

reasonably successful. If there are things of a scale that I can do,

I like to do them to make a difference. I just want to make my

kids proud of me. I don’t want them to see me as a taker but a

giver. And, quite selfishly, I get a lot of fun out of it’.

Five decades down the line and Jeff Banks is still as

hard working and motivated as the day he started. What is the

secret to this man’s success? ‘Most of the people in this industry

grow old gracefully and they disassociate themselves from what

is at the heart of fashion, they lose the plot. I’ve been lucky – as a

result of things like GFW – that I’ve really stayed in the core of it’.

//www.jeffbanks.co.uk

BY GLYN DARCY RIVE

who’s the daddy?Jeff Banks on his career, GFW and being a role model

mary katrantzou

Graduating from the BA in Textile Design at Central Saint Martin’s in 2005, Fashion Week favourite Mary Katrantzou has come a long way since designing her first graduate collection. Now known for her distinct digital prints and structured dresses, Mary is one of London’s most influential young designers. However, it was just four year ago that Mary’s eponymous label took shape within her MA graduate collection. An instant success, the collection that still echoes much of what Mary does today was snapped up by 15 prestigious stockists. Awarded NEWGEN sponsorship by Topshop and the BFC to show her collections at London Fashion Week for six seasons, Mary Katrantzou is living the fashion graduate’s ultimate dream.

This designer’s success however, has not come without hard work. Taking up placements with established designers including Sophia Kokosalaki and Bill Blass, she had time to develop her signature style. A pioneer of digital print, Mary has kept this a constant feature with-in her collections. Her eye-pop-ping, hyper-real visions compliment the statement shapes of her garments. An emphasis on structure proves that her success is not based on the novelty of print alone. Mary designs for the 21st Century woman. Her clothes are bold but always feminine, making a Katrantzou original a widely coveted item.

It comes as no surprise then, that Mary was recently asked to design a range for Topshop this February, bringing high-end to the high street. The collection sold out almost instantly, a tes-tament to the Greek designer’s popularity. To add to her glowing CV, she’s now been awarded a place on the judging panel for this year’s Graduate Fashion Week. As a graduate whose final collection led to her on-going success as a designer, she will now have a say in who might be next in line for a slice of the fashion pie. With this in mind, we caught up with her to get an insight into what might catch her eye in this year’s final collections.

6

21:How do you feel that your prints have evolved season on season?

When print is the visual language that defines your designs you have to remain at the forefront of your craft, so I try to challenge my team and myself to achieve the seemingly impossible with print season on season.

21:What were your main influences for your autumn / winter collection?

The theme was elevating the mundane to the sublime. The collection was divided in 7 colour stories that were inspired by everyday objects that you associate with these colours. The subject matter ranged from pencils, to typewriters, to spoons. I wanted to create occasion wear that elevates digital craftsmanship.

21:What is it about Topshop that makes it such a popular choice for young designers to collaborate with?

Topshop is a great partner for a young designer because it understands the need for financial support and it’s developed a very successful formula to help designers while at the same time working with them to reach a different audience and create a fun collection for the Topshop girl.

21:Are there any young designers or labels that you particularly admire at the moment?

I like what Simone Rocha and JW Anderson do from London.

21:How commercially viable is it these days for young designers to set up their own brands/labels? And what would your advice be for designers planning to do so straight out of college?

It’s always difficult to set up your own label and it is important to have a deep understanding of the industry to help you survive any difficulties that come your way. I did the opposite and went into it very naively, which is a good strategy too, but there is a lot more risk involved and you spend double the time to understand how to run your business and make it commercially viable. Your level of drive and ambition needs to be unbeatable.

21:What made you decide to become a judge at this year’s GFW?

I was invited by Hilary Alexander and I felt very honoured to be part of the judging panel. It was not too long ago that I was in their shoes, so I’m very excited about looking at all the young talent graduating this year.

21:What are you going to be looking for from this year’s GFW finalists?

I will be looking for an original voice that is proposing something unique and for technical ability.

21:How did you feel when you were in the position that these graduates are in now, showing their first ever collections?

I was very excited! It’s a great opportunity to show your work and define what you want to do in the future. It’s also an open platform for the industry to see and discuss your work.

21:What is your advice to anyone graduating from a fashion design based course this GFW?

To get experience by working in the industry and to understand every aspect of it.

INTERVIEW

// www.marykatrantzou.com

a/w 12

BY GLYN DARCY RIVE

We talk to young designer Michael Van Der Ham about his signature cut and paste style,

the importance of education and his plans to expand.

Van

Known for his patchwork and cut and paste cutting techniques, Michael Van Der Ham’s mix and style has placed him on the sartorial map of London eccentricity. With an AW/ 12 offering of metallics and floral glam evening wear, Van Der Ham himself is a little more relaxed- “I personally dress quite casually.” Though he is relatively new to the industry, Van Der Ham has carved for himself a distinct style of piecing together fabrics that aren’t instantly compatible but do in fact work to create a visually arresting garment. “All the textiles, the ideas for textiles and colours, always came naturally. It was the fitting and cutting that I really had to learn.” His natural eye for colour and texture not only secured him a win at the NEWGEN awards at London Fashion Week but has also resulted in sold-out stockists. The danger of distinction is, of course, being perceived as a one-trick pony – something Van Der

Ham is not. He has only shown four collections at London Fashion Week, having shown twice on the Fashion East catwalk straight after graduation, and already his signature collage/cut-and-paste technique is evolving. “It’s more refined now. And now there aren’t just the full-on dresses. There is a whole wardrobe to choose from, including separates and accessories.” Van Der Ham is well prepared for the demands of his expanding collection. Before studying at Central Saint Martin’s, he interned at Alexander McQueen and Sophia Kokosalaki. “I got to see how teams work together and how shows are organised. Fundamentally, I learned how to organise myself to get the work done in time.” These skills in time keep-ing would prove vital as he undertook an MA at CSM. “I think it was important for me to have studied on that course. I followed MA Womenswear fashion, and Louise Wilson really helped me to see what my

strong points were and what were my weaknesses. That was so helpful because then I could focus on the good stuff – like textiles, colours and research – and leave the things that I wasn’t very good at to oth-er people that I had hired – like cutting and sewing. Louise also taught me how to fit a look prop-erly, which none of the other courses I studied ever did.” A current issue for many young designers now is facing the rocketing prices of further education, so what does Van Der Ham believe is more helpful – ed-ucation or experience? “A mix of both is the best way – I think it’s a necessity, really. You learn very different skills in each place, all of which you are go-ing to need.” Who does Van Der Ham design for? The Van Der Ham woman is “Genuine, funny and chic” he says, which explains his playfulness with colour and print as well as the precise tailoring of his garments.

She must also be cultured since Van Der Ham finds inspiration in museums and galleries. “I do love a lot of the museums in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, like Booijmans Van Beuningen, Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk.” Thankfully, however, she doesn’t need a generous budget, since the designer collaborated with high street brand Topshop to create a mini range of blouses, skirts and trousers with the signature Van Der Ham characteristics of colour and print. With so much success from his womenswear collections, the style-inclined men of the world can’t help but dare to dream that Van Der Ham might also develop a menswear line. “Yes, I would love to actually. Maybe next year, who knows.” With a statement such as that, next year can’t come quick enough.

//www.michaelvanderham.com

michael INTERVIEW

der ham

courtesy of BFC

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A/W 12

Living every fledgling fashion designer’s dream, Manchester born-and-bred Hasan Hejazi has dressed pop starlets Kylie Minogue, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, Jessie J and Paloma Faith – all within two years of graduating. Prestigious fashion photographer Rankin shot Hasan’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection lookbook and his most recent collection was shown as part of ON|OFF’s London Fashion Week catwalk and at Paris Fashion Week. His clothes are feminine, striking and ultra sexy. Floating chiffon is juxtaposed with skin-tight neo-prene for a trash/glam fusion. It’s no sur-prise that Hasan’s collections are coveted by celebs – these dresses are distinct and undeniably cool.Most notable of his celebrity following is Marina Diamandis of chart-topping pop sensation Marina and the Diamonds. Not only did Marina snap up a dress from Hasan’s graduate show two years ago, she has been best friends with him ever since. After spending just five minutes with the young designer, it’s clear to see why. As fresh, bold and captivating as his clothes, Hasan is a designer well on the way to his own path of super-stardom.

21: You completed your BA in Fashion De-sign at Manchester Metropolitan University and went on to study your MA at London College of Fashion – What can you remem-ber of your final graduate fashion show in January 2010?HASAN HEJAZI: We did the big show at the Victoria and Albert museum in this beau-

INTERVIEW

primadonna boy

Ex Manchester Metropolitan fashion design graduate Hasan Hejazi

tells 21 about his success upon graduating, his celebrity friendships and his [not so secret] dream to be a pop star.

BY ANASTASIA MIARI

tiful space – only fifteen people get into that show and I was one of them. It was amazing. All the right people were there – Harrods buyers were there in the audience but I thought, “compared to all these artis-tic geniuses in here, I’m not exactly going to break any boundaries – I’m just making pretty dresses”. I was just doing sparkly gay things. But the next morning before 10 a.m. I got an email from Harrods. I thought it’d be some shitty newsletter but it was an email from the head buyer and they wanted to carry the Hasan Hejazi brand.

21: Sounds scary - how was it meeting buyers for the very first time in the hope of placing an order?HH: I was really intimidated at first. When I got in there I noticed a weird atmosphere – everyone was acting really strangely but it turned out that Alexander McQueen had just died. I thought, “how on earth am I going to get an order out of this?” But then they ended up buying all the sequinned pieces and the order sold out at Harrods. So from that I decided to take things seriously. I signed to a PR agency and from that I got my first celebrity wearer – Marina from Ma-rina and the Diamonds.

21: A celebrity following as soon as you graduated?HH: I know – and after Marina I got Kylie and then by July my next collection came out – I met so many people from the industry so quickly and gained quite a lot of fans. Ma-rina came to my first show at the V&A and

I didn’t even know who she was. Paloma Faith was there too. I’d never heard of ei-ther of them. But it was probably for the best because I didn’t get intimidated by it. Marina asked her stylist to contact me and then by February she wore me on the red carpet for the NME awards and from that, she’s my best friend now. I don’t know what I’d do without her.

21: So you kind of have one of those celeb / designer relationships then?HH: In a weird way – we used to joke about being Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna. She’ll swan around my bedroom in new stuff that I’ve made and I’m always hovering over her like – ‘be careful, it’s very delicate.’

21: And in the same year that you met Mari-na, you dressed Kylie?HH: With Kylie, I thought, aim for the top. So I went on everything from Facebook to Google, MySpace, twitter - everything. I fi-nally found out who her stylist was, I sent over my look book to her assistant and they asked for the whole collection for her to try on. It was just incredible. That moment in time Harrods, Rankin, Cheryl Cole and Ky-lie Minogue were all getting back to me. It was just one thing after another as soon as I graduated. Anyway the dress she picked, I’d already named it the Kylie dress.

21: Do you have any other muses?HH: People like Kylie and Jessie J really fit the brand. I get really obsessed with women and the way they look – when I see them I

get excited by them. Not in a pervy way be-cause I’m gay – but because I just imagine what they’d wear. In a dream world I’d dress Madonna ten years ago. Mind you, I’d still say yes now. I love Megan Fox as well. Peo-ple say she’s trashy but I like that her edge.

21: Is that how you’d describe your clothes – trashy / slutty?HH: If I had to choose 5 words I’d say glam-orous, playful, sexy, camp trashiness. It’s not exactly sophisticated but I think it’s quite fun, my twist on tack.

21: I read somewhere that music is a big part of your design process – what’s the reason for that?HH: Basically it’s because of my dream of being a pop star. If I could have any job in the world – in that dream world where you click your fingers and have any talent you want, I’d be a pop star. I absolutely love music. I can’t work without it. I’m listening to Marina’s new album at the moment and Madonna, Lana Del Rey and Paloma Faith.

21: Are you inspired by music then?HH: When I do Jessie J commissions I’ll put her album on, and I put Fergie on and listened to the Black Eyed Peas all week for her commission. But before when I was walking around listening to Marina, I thought about a video and what the clothes would look like for it. So things like that in-spire an idea for my designs. Then again I get inspired by lots of things. Like I’ll think about a creative idea about a whole pho-

to-shoot and then I’ll come to the dress. I think it’s important to be doing other things – not just designing. I want to be a creative – to think about the whole process – like in fashion film. I’ve done stuff with Rankin and it’s really interest-ing and different. The thing that excites me the most is the final image that the dress creates. 21: So you’ve managed to work with Rankin and build yourself a pretty im-pressive celebrity clientele. What would you say to the graduates who might want to follow a similar path to yours?HH: Graduate Fashion Week’s done very well – it’s a great opportunity and you need to milk it for all it’s worth. Make sure you get as much press as you can and don’t under-sell yourself. It’s the little things that make it look so much better. It might not even be down to the clothes – it could be the hairstyle. It’s your chance to shine so change things if you need them to change. When you’re left in the world of what to do next, you need to just know 100% that this is what you want to do. This is the most competitive industry whether you’re a journalist or a designer. You’ve got to have the balls to go out there and sell yourself. Unless you can’t sleep at night because you can’t wait to get up in the morning and make this dress that you’re thinking about – then don’t bother. You have to know that there is nothing else that you can do in the world apart from

that.// www.hasanhejazi.co.uk

Photography: Neil Francis Dawson

9

backroom boyz

BY TIA HALL-DAVIS

Fashion is enthralled with the latest collections, consumed with the ‘must-have’ high street items and obsessed with leading designers. Often overlooked are the less glamorous roles behind the scenes

which, for all of us keep the fashion wheels turning.

The Merchandiser- George at As-da-Matt Tomeo

Fashion Merchandiser at George for Asda, Matt Tomeo took a practical route into the fashion industry -“I was looking for a way to get into fashion, after some research I came across the George degree programme and knew I wanted to work there” says Matt. His first placement as a merchandiser in ladies knitwear on the degree pro-gramme was linked together with practical training at the George house offices - “It’s great”Matt says, “George is paying for my degree and giving me a salary”. His position involves monitoring weekly trade figures, stock control organisation, trend launches and the supervision of booking and contracting from shipping to depot delivery. Matt says “My favourite part of the job is the interactions. We have a really great atmos-phere as everyone takes pride in their work and everyone is really supportive of your development”. Aside from this, Matt has significant involvement in the different func-tions within the George house, including the buyers and quality care team, enabling him to continue broadening his skills and knowledge. “Anyone trying to get into the industry should be able to demonstrate commercial awareness with some experi-ence. Even if you want to do designing, a good head for numbers and business always helps you to get ahead”.

// www.direct.asda.com/george

The Pattern cutter- Karen Millen-Aimee Middleton

Aimee has worked as a pattern grader and marker for over 7 years. After leaving university she worked for the Grading Bureau, River Island and is now at Karen Millen. She discovered grading as part of her course at university. The pattern cutting software taught her to grasp the simplicity of the skill and ultimately allowed her to realise it was what she enjoyed. Her role within Karen Millen involves creating the patterns for each size of the garment, from the base size ensuring it is proportional, whilst also achieving the specified measurements for each size of clothing. Marker making is often part of the graders role, involving laying the garment patterns into a marker to work out the cloth consumption. Aimee explains “There is no typical day and I enjoy it because there is always a new challenge. Something to keep your brain working”. She could spend one whole day grading a complicated evening dress and then the next by grading three tailored jackets. Her role allows her to grade both complex and simple garments, and is involved in the products manufacture from the first cloth to the final product on the hanger. She explains “When you have created an accurate looking graded pattern, which is also lovely and fits together beautifully as the base size, then that is definitely something to be proud of…it makes all the hard work worthwhile”. The role involves having a logical and methodical mind with visual skills to identify good shapes and lines of garments. She says ‘‘remembering numbers is something you need to be able to do and also have an eye for lines…there is no point achieving all your specified measurements if your pattern looks like a 50 pence piece”. Aimee con-cludes that the less known roles in the fashion industry can be just as rewarding as the ones in the spotlight-“I am so glad I have a found a job that is interesting, challenging and is different everyday and yet still creative in every aspect”.

// www.karenmillen.com

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MENTORSHIPGFW ’S PROTEGE PROJECT NOT ONLY BENEFITS GRADUTES, BUT POTENTIALLY THEIR EMPLOYERS, AS WILLIAM DE MARTIGNY BOOTH FINDS OUT AT KAREN MILLEN.

From design to marketing, styling to illustration – every discipline is represented; every subject participates; proving that GFW embodies the future of British fashion. However, it wouldn’t be a truly British event without some healthy competition… Each winner in every field has the unique opportunity to receive personalised mentoring from industry experts enabling them to get the advice and guidance for their specific career paths. For 2012 the winners will each have a personal mentor from GFW’s Mentoring Panel; formed of leaders from across the fashion industry, representing a wide range of high profile companies and with an amazing range of skills and industry experience. Launched in 2010, the Protégé Project is specially designed to help leading businesses work with the outstanding talent produced by our GFW universities. Providing a platform for companies to give graduates the first steps into the industry whilst harnessing their creative talents and energy, it aims to benefit all as University of West-minster Graduate Fflur Cadwalder Owen, the 2009 recipient of Karen Millen’s protege project can testify. “The scheme is a great idea- I was given a chance to work with all the different designers at Karen Millen, everything from designing handbags to jersey wear. Though I did have to do some less exciting paperwork- most of the time I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to design and create mock-ups of various pieces for new collections.” Luckily for Fflur she wasn’t thrown in a cupboard and forgotten about, as so many fashion intern horror stories suggest, but actually included in the design process. “Usually I was given a project to work on; sometimes this started with designing on paper; sometimes designing on a computer. It just depended on the brief. I particularly liked designing CAD digital prints - this was something I had never done before working at Karen Millen.” Fflur’s time with Karen Millen gave her the chance to experi-ment and explore new areas of design whilst learning from industry experts. It also gave her a new career path to follow; “Working with all the different designers taught me valuable skills that will benefit me in the future- also it gave me the opportunity to experiment and learn exactly what I enjoy within design. It is at Karen Millen that I decided that I wanted to focus on accessories design, having enjoyed working with the accessories team so much.” Of course, one would expect the protégée to be enthusiastic when reminiscing over this once in a lifetime experience, but it would seem this enthusiasm is reciprocated by the Mentors themselves. Gemma Metheringham, Joint Managing and Creative Director of Karen Millen confirms this, reminding us also that this is an industry in which true talent is rewarded. “The benefit for us is that we get lots of new ideas and en-ergy into the studio - some of our bestselling prints have been created by the graduate protégés. As a team we really enjoy mentoring and

supporting new graduates, keeping in touch and seeing their careers develop. As a brand we are incredibly reliant on the creativity, craft and commerciality of our design team.” Here we have it, an example of fashion students actually being valued rather than viewed as a nuisance. But why not? After all, design training in the UK is the best in the world and companies like Karen Millen should value the opportunity to give new graduates an insight into the industry. This is a chance to make contacts and gain a more rounded understanding of the design process and surely this will result in stronger graduate designers all round. However, the official contract is only for a 6 month period – what happens when it comes to an end? “Many of the graduates have seen their time at Karen Millen as a stepping stone before going on to do an MA or perhaps setting up their own business. We always try and help with their next steps, whether it is providing references, contacting sister brands to see what vacancies they may have, to being available to offer on-going advice.” Clearly a Mentor is for life, and not just for fashion week – but it is important not to underestimate the power of having one of these under your shoulder pads. Fflur’s first contract at Karen Millen as a GFW protégé was for 6 months after graduating, “but I stayed there for nearly 2 years working as a design assistant. By that time I felt I needed to move on, to follow my plans for designing accessories.” Thanks to Karen Millen, her portfolio was strong enough to earn a place at the Royal College of Art, studying for an MA in Fashion Acces-sories beginning September 2012, but in the mean time?“After finding that many of the fashion agencies wouldn’t even meet at me as I had less than 5 years fashion experience after graduating, I decided to get back in touch with my contacts at Karen Millen, and I was very lucky to hear about a position with Lulu Guinness and I am currently working with her on creating a new shop front window for her AW12 collection” Fflur has undoubtedly been extremely lucky whilst on route to realising her ambitions, and sadly this is not the case for all participants in GFW. That said, it does not mean the death knell for the careers of those who are not fortunate to catch the eye of a Mentor. “My advice would be to make the most of all the opportu-nities that come your way!” says Gemma Metheringham, “Don’t be scared to speak up and ask lots of questions - you’re here to learn and criticism can be useful for you. Equally don’t be scared to share your ideas; we want your creativity, but listen to us too as we know our brand and our customers. Successful design is about finding the balance between creativity and commerciality.” And with that, to all potential protégés out there, I salute you. Let battle commence.

BY WILLIAM DE MARTIGNY BOOTH

Designs by Fflur Cadwaladr Owen

JOBS

‘ ‘

TREND

WGSN, Graduate Fashion Week’s Official Trend Partner, outlines the key catwalk trends to watch out for in A/W 2012

what’s next?SOURCE: WGSN.com

Key trends for Womenswear

Occasionally fashion likes to throw a curve-ball. After a summer devoted to light-hearted candy pastels and flirty 50s looks, we see a complete change of direction for autumn/winter 2012/13 in a palette of intense colour and modest cover-up silhouettes. There’s a sense of brooding darkness in the air, as designers flirt with historical influenc-es drawn from the Victorian and Edwardi-an eras, with high necklines and a return to structured dressing in an evolution of mas-culine/feminine looks. This opens the door for the return of the gothic, especially for party and Holiday developments, played out in a palette of black on black, flame red and purple. Other key influences are more colourful and offer opportunity for strong print stories, withdecorative Oriental looks, a play on Slavic and Eastern European folkloric inspirations and the early 60s undergoing a gamine Frenchi-fied feel.

The season’s palette can be neatly divided into rich autumnal colour in deep wine reds, pine greens, russet browns and navy con-trasted with graphic pop brights of flame, electric blue, cobalt and yellow, as well as a small range of chalky winter pastels.

The general mood may be sombre, but this feeling is lightened by the trend for tac-tile fabrics. Velvet, satin, textured tweed and bouclé, silky geometric jacquards, metallic finishes and ultra-smooth leathers contrast with opulent 3D embellishment, especially jewelled trims, embroidery and decorative appliqués.

CARVEN AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13 MAXMARA AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13

JONATHAN SAUNDERS AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13 FELIPE OLIVEIRA AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13

Key trends for Menswear

Menswear is set to play it safe for next winter if the looks on the Paris and Milan runways are to be our trend barometer, as designers opted for a return to buttoned-up formal dressing, classic colours and tra-ditional fabrications.

Maybe it’s the uncertainties of the recession and the feeling of things being out of our control that is prompting the consumer to want a little more structure in their life, as we see the classically tailored coat and suit with their strong waist and shoulder definition replacing the laidback casual appeal of key items like the parka – a runway stal-wart for the past few seasons. Even the classic Western jacket got a makeover for next winter, coming in tweed or luxe wools rather than denim.

Colour is going classic too with a core palette of camel, black, grey and navy offset with rich wine reds, cool teal blues and bottle greens; fabrics meanwhile celebrate the traditional with heritage tweeds, luxurious plush piled wools and the touch-me-feel-me appeal of lush velvets and corduroys.

That leaves print and pattern to provide the drama for the season ahead. Expect to see subtle monochrome patterns, perfect to accent the grey palette, the decadently scrolling look of baroque-inspired imagery, and revamped camouflage prints including everything from clouds to flowers.

All those directions are colouring our Key Looks for autumn/winter 2012/13, with sartorial formality leading the way, alongside updat-ed military looks, which bring a more casual look into play alongside subtle historical influences. There’s a nod to the future too for the more forward-thinking end of the market, with modernist tailoring and an emphasis on technical fabrications, while the perennial her-itage country look gets a makeover with functional workwear influ-ences.

TREND

Key trends for Footwear & Accessories

Historical references and an eccentric heritage vibe inform the im-portant accessory stories for autumn/winter 2012/13, with folkloric and oriental influences generating new and exciting print directions. We analyse the key looks, colour, material and detail directions that will drive the women’s footwear and accessories market for the new season. After last season’s selection of sweet candy hues and neon sports influences, the autumn/winter palette is rich, dark and moody. The palette is broken down into three key areas, starting with warm au-tumnal shades of pine, burgundy, mustard and pumpkin injected with brights of cobalt, bright red and purple with a small input of chalky white and winter pastels.

For material directions, the overall look is luxurious. Plush furs come to the fore for a number of accessory product areas, with suede going back to basics in cool natural shades and tactile velvets adding a hint of glamour to belts and clutch bags.

For the first time we have broken the details and trims section down into two parts to highlight the newest details specific to footwear and the overall key detail trends to give a true reflection of how the acces-sories market is being updated for the new season. New heel shapes and fastenings keep perennial footwear silhouettes looking fresh as new trends emerge for accessories that aren’t apparent in apparel.

The general mood for the season is sombre, yet opulent, with a number of historical references taken from the Edwardian and Victo-rian eras noted in apparel and continuing in accessories with devoré, brocades, metallic finishes, high-shine leathers and all-over embel-lishments used to decorate and update key items.

Print effects help to enliven the mood with paint techniques includ-ing graffiti spray, paint drips and splashes offering quirky finishes to footwear, while digital and handpainted florals look delicate and feminine, adding vibrancy to the winter palette.

WGSN’s signature Catwalks trend analysis extends to all top and emerging international fashion weeks, from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, Mumbai to Seoul. The most thorough and detailed runway coverage available, WGSN Catwalks content includes the latest crop, zoom and save functionality on all 22,000 images, along with comprehensively improved navigation and viewing options to make absorbing, navigating and interpreting the shows easier than ever.WGSN will present the A/W 13/14 macro trends at Graduate Fashion Week in Theatre B on Monday 11th June at 12pm.Visit us at the show to arrange a free trial and gain access to all of our seasonal trend round up videos.

DIOR HOMME AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13 DOLCE & GABBANA AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13

MIHARAYASUHIRO AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13HERMES AUTUMN/WINTER 2012/13

trends to watchgothicorientalwesternprint

heritageopulencetactilityluxury

15

The Graduate Fashion Week awards celebrate individuals’ outstanding achievements in fashion all across the board, from design to media

production, to business planning for success. Since last year’s awards, the winning graduates have made big strides in the world of

fashion today. Some have embarked on further education, while others have plunged themselves into the working world. We speak to these

talented young creatives about where they are now and how it feels to look back on a year’s worth of work experience. It’s the ultimate pre-

view to post-graduate life.

BY LI YIN SOH

Where are they

NOW?

2011 Winners

2011 WINNERSFelix Chabluk- Smith, 23

Alma Mater Edinburgh College of Art. Studied BA (Hons) Fashion Design.

What He’s Been Up To Felix has just finished his first year in the MA course at the Royal College of Art, specializing in Menswear.

Why a Masters? ‘It kind of sets you apart from other graduates doing a Masters, from those who have just a Bachelor’s Degree. For me, the Royal College is the best course in the country, if not in Europe, to do menswear and it was recommended by my tutor at my BA course. I just applied and haven’t looked back really’.

Career Highlights: Awarded a 3-month Burberry internship and the Stewart Parvin Award for Best Fashion Graduate 2011.

FYI: Felix didn’t think he wanted to be in fashion at first, going up to Edinburgh to originally do illustration or graphic design. He was, however, gradually drawn in to the fashion department, mainly by his girlfriend

2011 GFW AWARD: MENSWEAR Rory longdon, 24

Alma Mater Nottingham Trent University. Studied BA (Hons) Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles.

What He’s Been Up To On graduating Rory began working with George on a place-ment, creating an affordable range of Rory Longdon Knitwear designs. He then worked at Pringle in the archiving department and has since moved to Reggio Emilia, in Italy, and is now working for Max Mara as a knitwear designer.

Why Italy? ‘I thought the best way for me to further my practice would be to learn some hands-on experience within the industry. Italy was a place I had always dreamed of working in, so it seemed right to move there and begin to learn about the real industry’.

Top Graduate Advice ‘Stay positive and be persistent.’

Biggest Career Challenge ‘I’ve had to make some pretty tough decisions about certain paths to follow, as GFW opened up numerous paths’.

Future Plans ‘Perhaps in the near future there might be another Rory Longdon knit-wear collection.’

2011 GFW AWARD: George gold

Hsin YEE WANG, 22

Alma Mater UCA Epsom. Studied BA (Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing.

What I’ve Been Up To: Hsin Yee was offered a job after winning her Barclays New Busi-ness Idea and currently works full-time in corporate workwear.

Career Highlights: ‘Having a major supermarket (Asda) and grooming brand (Lynx) both taking a strong interest in my new business idea is very exciting. Never did I think when doing my final major project that something more could come of it’.

Top Graduate Advice: ‘My advice would be to definitely get some good experience and internships on your CV but I’d say don’t give up looking because although it is hard to find a job now, there’s always something out there and you’ll gradually find some-thing. I wouldn’t put yourself down because you’ve been declined numerous times’.

2011 GFW AWARD: Business idea

KYLE GRAHAM SPIRES, 23

Alma Mater Edinburgh College of Art. Studied BA (Hons) Textile Design.

What He’s Been Up To Currently doing an MA at the Royal College of Art in Menswear.

Why a Masters? ‘It was cheaper to do it this year because of the rise in tuition fees, and then I got a scholarship from the Royal College of Art by Laura Ashley Foundation. It just depends on the person. I think your year’s what you make of it. For me, I wanted to do a Masters, I felt like it was the right step for me’.

Previous Work Experience Peter Pilotto and Stella McCartney.

Top Graduate Advice ‘Graduates should just stay confident and to have a plan of action afterwards would be good too. Everything changes so quickly, so if you’re slow then you kind of get left behind I suppose’.

Future Plans: Paris to do work experience at Yves Saint Laurent or Dior upcoming summer.

2011 GFW AWARD: KAREN MILLEN FASHION PORTFOLIO

MARIssA OWEN, 25

Alma Mater University of Central Lancashire. Studied BA (Hons) Fashion Design.

What I’ve Been Up To: ‘I got accepted to do freelance work for Marks & Spencer’s and I wanted to get some work experience so I now assist the M&S women’s casualwear department. I’ve been here since September 2011’.

Reasons for Masters opt-out ‘I got advised to get some industry experience before doing the Masters and I sat down and thought going into industrial experience would be a lot better. So far that is definitely true.’

2011 GFW AWARD: WOMENSWEAR

Molly Ratcliff, 23

Alma Mater Northumbria University, BA (Hons) Fashion Design.

What I’ve Been Up To ‘I have been working as a designer at Abercrombie and Fitch in Ohio USA. I moved out here at the end of September 2011 and have been working for the company for around 7 months. Whilst living in America I have also started to work on my own bags which I hope to be able to start selling in the near future. Fingers crossed’.

Top Graduate Advice ‘Have faith in yourself and your work; with this you can do any-thing you set your mind to!’.

Most Rewarding Fashion Experience ‘It was an amazing experience to be a part of Graduate Fashion Week. Admittedly, there was a lot of hard work and a few sleepless nights involved but of course, it was completely worth it. To see your work on display and to be acknowledged by both the public and those in the fashion industry is just an incredible feeling. Equally, to be given the opportunity to send my collection down the runway was something that I will remember for the rest of my life. It really is what you aspire to do when you make that decision to study fashion’.

2011 GFW AWARD: Mulberry Accessories

Sarika pancholi, 23

Alma Mater De Montfort University. Studied BA (Hons) Fashion Design.

What I’ve Been Up To ‘I’m currently freelancing as a knitwear designer. After grad-uating, I went to River Island and did 2 months there as a knitwear assistant. They have their design forum ranges that you can actually be experimental in and there were a lot of textiles coming out this season so I was working on that. Then I went to Vivienne Westwood for 3 months and Paris to do Paris Fashion Week- it was a good experience, a lot of running around! I have a project called ‘Indian Summer’ which I am going to submit soon. ‘Indian Summer’ is a community project with a lot of artists and music, and it’s happening on the 16th and 17th June 2012. I’m in Leicester at the moment - I came back about a month ago from Vivienne Westwood - now I’m just doing freelance work and building contacts. Leicester’s a big knitwear place so whoever can help me, I can help them!’.

Career Aims ‘I’m trying to experience everything right now, doing commercial, doing high street- it’s just I want to see different paths before I decide what I want to do. I’ve got a vision in my mind but it’s not going to be able to fulfill itself if I don’t experience everything else. There’s a lot to learn and I can’t just jump into something without knowing anything. I’ve got the time now so I can run around and I’ll do what I need to’.

2011 GFW AWARD: David band textiles

Our designers have all said that they’re coming back again this year. Be sure to spot them when they do!

Minimalism’s Maximum Impact

INTERVIEW

BY LILY MARPAUNG

Driven by her affection for classic tailoring, Jackie Lee has taken London Fashion Week by storm

with her pared-down minimalistic dresses and separates.

Spending five years in her hometown of South Korea as a pattern cutter after she received her BA from Chungnam National University, this Seoul-born designer took a different path onto the fashion field. Yet in spite of her extensive experience as a pat-tern cutter she held onto her dream of becoming a fashion designer. After a holiday in London in 2004, she fell in love with the city and its unique lifestyle, deciding to pursue her further study there. “I felt that people in London seemed to take their time to go to the next step whilst keeping their originality and goals. I admire that.” Finishing a short-course in advanced pattern cutting at Central Saint Martins (CSM), Jackie Lee finally made the leap to fashion de-sign when she was accepted onto the Master’s program. Lee says that the prestigious college plays an integral

role in her work. “If I was not trained at CSM I would not have been able to find my own identity. I learned how to create a strong aesthetic with my own style, to manage garment quality and most importantly to handle myself in the fashion industry.” Lee’s signature designs, that focus on soft hues and elegant shapes, were well chosen for the market as luxury department store Harrods bought nearly the entire line from her graduation show. Jackie Lee’s label J. JS Lee then got picked up by taste-making boutique Dover Street Market, which effectively put her on the global fashion radar. “I guess they were look-ing for some new minimal style,” Lee adds. For her Fall/Winter 2012 collection, Lee has drawn inspiration from the innocence and purity of clouds and shadows seen through an aeroplane

window. Employing a simple and clean silhouette paired with dynamic layering, she gives minimalistic androgynous style a new edge. Her well-constructed clothes show an ability to blend luxury and effortless-ness. Using a basic palette of white, cream, dove grey and black with a hint of pale yellow, she creates a fresh look for a modern woman’s wardrobe. Key looks to watch out for from this de-signer are pencil skirts with hidden pleats, bib-like seams on collared tops, asymmetric blazers that are short at the front but lengthened to the knees at the back; not forgetting the chunky knit jumpers with intricate details that give masculine shapes a feminine edge. “I can say that my women is a modern woman who is concerned with looking sharp in a uniquely feminine way’’. As a young and upcoming designer,

Jackie Lee understands all too well the difficulty of breaking into the fashion industry. A winner of Topshop NEWGEN sponsorship for two con-secutive seasons, Lee says, “NewGen gives me opportunities. It’s hard to run my own label without any help - I can hop into London’s fashion indus-try because it opens the door to me.” Describing her brand’s signature look as minimalism combined with mod-ern tailoring, she admits, “I feel that I’m a stranger in the London fashion scene. People define it to be more colourful and witty but my work has come from my personality. It doesn’t look like London style, in the cliched sense, but you can see eclectic styling in the clean silhouette –that’s what this city means to me.”

// www.jsleelondon.com

Four Things To Know About Jackie

1. She won Harrods Award for her graduate collection in

2010

2. Her trademark is embossed details on solid fabricS

3. She goes to the SerpentineGallery for artistic inspiration

4. Her favourite decades in fashion are the 1920s and

1940s.

a/w 12

THE DEVIL PAYS NADA?

16

ly paid internship but when recalling the best parts of her experience, she doesn’t mention the money. Instead, she equates her happiness in the role to the amount of input and influence she was given with-in the company – “one of the main highlights was having my opinions taken on board, and followed through - actually coming to life in Old Navy stores. On one occasion the men’s team were discussing an applique design on a t-shirt and I suggested using tonal colours on the applique to create a more subtle and sellable look. Everyone agreed and my manager said ‘You do realize you probably just made us a mil-lion dollars’. It was only a small design suggestion but it was taken on board and the shirts are in Old Navy stores now.” Kate was one of four other students to be award-ed the internship in the same year by Gap Inc – a sure sign that fashion internships are widely avail-able. Kate suggests that looking abroad for work placements could actually be more beneficial; “I learned how to adapt to completely new situations, surroundings and people. Being abroad taught me to keep open-minded and absorb absolutely everything I could, to enrich my experience and my outlook. San Francisco itself really broadened my horizons, removed me from the London bubble and taught me to appreciate how vast and diverse the world is and to think of how many opportunities are available.” Interns need not limit themselves to one locale then – fashion, after all, has no boundaries.

Another student who may soon be benefitting from a placement abroad is Jessica Tara Staddon, studying fashion textiles at Ravensbourne College. After be-ing selected by her tutors for the MittelModa inter-national competition, Jessica insists “My university and internships have been nothing but beneficial towards my career. Whether your internship is good or bad it’s still an experience that you can learn from. I’ve definitely had my fair share of bad ones, as I’m sure ALL fashion students have. But I’ve also built up some really good contacts and learned a lot about the industry and how to get noticed.” After finding work experience placements at print studio Tom Cody and at Marks and Spencer’s via social network-ing site LinkedIn, Jess demonstrated a drive and work ethic that her tutors haven’t failed to notice. Jess is now a finalist in the MittelModa competition and will be presenting her collection in Milan this June. If she wins, she’ll be awarded three thousand Euros and a placement. As the old adage goes, work begets work. Working in a sweaty basement office making cups of ten may not be glamorous, but those extra additions to a CV could help bag you a really amazing oppor-tunity.

Terri Finnigan who is studying fashion design and marketing at the University of East London is a firm believer in ‘its not what you know its who you know’. After working as a Sales Assistant in All Saints Spital-fields, Terri was invited to intern as a pattern cutter, making friends with head cutter Alan. “After long conversations with him, he told me about his friend Timothy Everest. I went home and researched him and was amazed by his beautiful bespoke tailoring. Alan put in a good word for me and got me an in-terview with their design team. Within that month, I was interviewed by Head Designer, Stacey Cotter who offered me an internship.” The contacts Terri made through her initial internships have since led to placements at independent label Bunmi Koko and leading fashion PR company Modus Publicity. These contacts may have helped find her more work but it’s her attitude towards internships that has led them to do so; “I worked for Modus whilst a TV programme was aired about how they treat interns- it was offen-sive and silly. The TV programme said the only way people can take up internships is if they’re rich. I’m definitely not rich and I’ve had five internships in four years. I was never paid for any of these but had two jobs to fund my living. It’s been intense but I’ve al-ready made a handful of contacts, and a good name for myself in the industry.” Gaining valuable experi-ence before graduation, Terri is now able to look for paid positions upon graduating this summer.

Like a rite of passage, an unpaid internship has be-come the stepping-stone to a career in the fashion industry. Be it running to Pret a Manger to place an order for 47 sandwiches, filling out excel spread-sheets or babysitting the fashion director’s kids, it all has to be carried out with a smile. The intern is at the bottom of the fashion food chain but acknowledging this means inching your way closer towards the top. One thing that the students we interviewed for 21 have in common is their ability to see past the meni-al jobs to the benefits of the overall experience. The three-week placement in a stuffy fashion PR office may teach you only one thing – that this is definitely not the career for you – but even this is one step clos-er to your ideal role in the industry. As Grace Codding-ton points out it’s time that interns stop playing the fashion victim and realize that instant success in this industry is rare. Hard work, determination and being the first to volunteer to do the tea round are what it’s going to take.

Graduation is here and the sunny (read unpredicta-ble) days of summer are once again upon us. Typical-ly a time for picnicking in parks, jetting off to warmer climes and general slobbery, the summer months offer a much-needed respite from all of that hard work. However, with youth unemployment at it’s highest since 1992 and the UK dipping back into re-cession, for many graduates, this summer will mean business. Eager to get ahead of the game and into employment, many of you are taking up internships. Notorious for its use of unpaid work, the fashion in-dustry will once again play host to out of work gradu-ates, queuing X-Factor style for their big break. In recent months the fashion industry has been bashed for overworking and underpaying interns. HM Revenue and Customs announced it was plan-ning raids on fashion companies in breach of mini-mum wage laws in November 2011, and the fashion industry was ‘exposed’ Devil Wears Prada style as cruel and exploitative. In spite of this, many of you will put yourselves forward for unpaid jobs at fashion houses and magazines. The fashion industry may have a reputation for ‘using and abusing’ but maybe it’s our attitude towards internships that needs to change? In a recent interview, creative director for American Vogue Grace Coddington commented, “I think there are a lot of interns that feel very entitled. They think we owe them something. Good ones come through though. You really notice them.” If a job is what you’re hoping for, then you may well be disappointed when the next bright-eyed intern takes your place. Is the fashion industry exploiting its young ‘rising stars’ or are fashion interns getting a bit too big for their Louboutins? Contrary to speculation, a work expe-rience placement within the fashion industry can indeed be rewarding and beneficial depending on what you put in and what you (realistically) want out of it. The following success stories are just a few of the many that were sent to us after our call out for internships gone-right. The interns interviewed for 21 prove that there is no one path into the career of your choice. They have found and fallen into place-ments, valuing the time given to them for what it is – an experience. Charlotte Arcedeckner–Butler, a fashion student at Manchester Metropolitan University was the first to email us. It’s no surprise that she was accepted as an intern at James Dawber – a tailor’s in Manchester. Enthusiastic and confident, Charlotte indicates that it was her zeal that persuaded James Dawber himself to take her on as an assistant; “He made it clear that he doesn’t have time for students if they don’t know what to do. I kind of forced him to see me - I was in town with some garments I’d made and took them in to show him.” Despite working an entire summer for no pay, Charlotte doesn’t have a bad word to say about her placement; “I didn’t expect paying because

THE DEVIL PAYS NADA?Is the fashion industry exploiting its future stars or are interns simply

deluded by their generation’s sense of entitlement? Five of this year’s fashion graduates give us an insight into what it’s really like working for the ‘devil’.

the experience was payment enough for me. I’m a very hands on learner and at this point of the course I was feeling very creatively drained, by working for James I realized that this is what I want to do with my life.” Having experienced working in Manchester, she insists that London doesn’t have to be the final destination. “I never really wanted to go to London for a placement. There’s a lot of pressure to move down south to get anywhere in the ‘fashion game’ but I have a lot of faith in Manchester. It’s got soul that can’t be bought and this shows in James’ pieces.” Charlotte’s found her true calling in life after just a few months at a small, bespoke tailor’s in Manches-ter –far from the typical high-pressured, big-smoke location.

Of course, there are some internships that are spe-cifically London based. Fashion bible Vogue takes on new interns every three weeks, giving those brave enough to apply ample opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes. Jessica Piper, a fashion design student at Kingston University worked at Vogue UK for one month and says the experience wasn’t as daunting as you might expect; “the environment in-stantly felt right. Everyone just works extremely hard, looks great and is really polite. It was really inspiring to be in such a female dominated environment, run by a team of powerful women.” Like Charlotte, Jess found that the internship confirmed her career aspi-rations – “working in an environment of like minded and highly creative people was not only a massive in-spiration, but a reaffirmation that this is the industry I want to be a part of.” Vogue isn’t likely to offer you a job but an insight into its workings could be enough to seal your fate. Inspiration is a powerful motivator and where better to be inspired than at the very top? A further testament to the benefits that come from aiming high, Kate Falcus, also studying fashion de-sign at Kingston University, won an all expenses paid ten-week internship at Gap Inc – Old Navy brand in San Francisco last summer. To win the competition, entrants were required to research the brand and design two capsule collections for two different departments, provide research files, mood boards, a CV and cover letter and attend an interview with the creative director and head recruiter of Old Navy – quite a feat. Having proved her worth, Kate was awarded the ful-

BY ANASTASIA MIARI

Jessica Piper

Jessica Tara Staddon

INTERVIEW

“I think there are a lot of in-terns that feel very entitled. They think we owe them something.

Good ones come through though. You really notice them.”

Grace Coddington

“He made it clear that he doesn’t have time for stu-dents if they don’t know

what to do.” Charlotte Arcedeckner Butler

“good or bad it’s still an experience that you can learn from.” jessica Tara Staddon

Kate Falcus

19

Terri FinniganCharlotte Arcedeckner - Butler

ENTREPRENEURS

be your own boss

We all know the routine: get a degree, do every internship going, and hold your breath until

hopefully a, shock-horror, PAID job appears from the mist of graduate schemes and entry-level jobs. Sometimes horribly depressing, but we all know the deal and knowingly take part. So what if you were just to opt out, back yourself and your ideas,

and appoint yourself as boss?

Controversial option…well, no actually. There are an increasing number of students and graduates

looking for a career-path, which envelops all their interests and skills without conforming to the

average job description.

Here 21 chats to three delightfully different young entrepreneurs as they share their experiences of

being their on boss so far.

BY FRANCESCA BRADSHAW

Jules QuinnFounder of The *TeaShed

1. How would you define your brand and the niche it fills? The *TeaShed is a design led tea and tea ware company, born and brewed in Britain. We only use quality whole leaf tea in silky pyramid teabags, giving you the rich taste of loose leaf tea, in the convenience of a teabag. People want a healthy, affordable treat that makes them smile.

2. When was your ‘light bulb’ moment?The *TeaShed began as part of my final year project at Northumbria University; where I stud-ied Fashion Marketing. The moment when I knew this had a future was when Fenwick began stocking our products and the amount of press we received from the start. It is very hard to switch from an academic project to real life retail and what works at university does not al-ways work in real life and vice versa.

3. What piece of advice has proved most valuable?Do what makes you happy. As soon as you don’t love what you do then you won’t be as suc-cessful. You need to love every second (even when doing your accounts!). And advice I would give, would be to listen to other people’s ideas and opinions and be open to criticism. Be able to continuously adapt your business due to feedback/research.

4. What next?I ensure that The *TeaShed is here to stay through constant new product development and keeping an eye on the market and future trends. 2013 will see The *TeaShed grow interna-tionally, through a series of trade shows in Dubai, USA and Germany. We will also be working closely with our current international stockists.

// www.thetea-shed.co.uk20

ENTREPRENEURS

Loren PlattFounder of WORK IT Agency and parties and The W Project

1. How would you define your brand and the niche it fills?WORK IT is a club night brand that celebrates everything 90s, from music, fashion, films and lifestyle. We have recently expanded into clothing with a T-shirt and Sweatshirt line, “The Lyric Series”.

2. When was your ‘light bulb’ moment?There wasn’t really a light bulb moment in terms of creating a business. WORK IT was created for purely selfish reasons, (we wanted somewhere to dance to 90s RnB) and was initially start-ed for fun. We both had full time jobs when we started the party and it was more of a fun side line project, we never dreamed that it would become our business. It grew organically and slowly but surely the operation expanded and we now are based at our own studio space and it has become our day job.

3. What piece of advice has proved most valuable?If you have an idea just go for it and make it happen. Like us, you might be surprised where it can take you!

4. What next?As long as there is a demand for WORK IT we will continue. We will try and give our partygoers what they want, stay dynamic, try new things and always put in maximum effort to create a good fun atmosphere at all our events. We really love the Fashion side of the brand, our T-shirt range has been really popular so we will keep growing that side of things with lots more de-signs coming soon!

// www.youworkit.co.uk

Tida and Lisa Finch Founders of Finchittida Finch

1. How would you define your brand and the niche it fills?We design statement pieces for fashion forward individuals who are bored of kitsch and want something that makes you stop & stare, with that high end appeal but still affordable. All our pieces are intricately designed by hand, so you know you’re wearing something unique. Our jewellery line has the ability to transform a simple outfit, from something simple to su-per-chic, especially with the oversized pieces, which have been worn by the like of Ashanti and Lianne La Havas.

2. When was your ‘light bulb’ moment?Tida: At my degree show last summer, I was overwhelmed by the strong interest I received for my final collection from industry professionals and the general public. We could see there was a demand for my pieces, and from our research found that there was nothing like it out there. So my twin sister Lisa (a graphic designer) & I decided to start our own label, we launched our online boutique on ASOS marketplace where we sell our jewellery line.

3. What piece of advice has proved most valuable?Go out of your way to meet new people and help others, not just in the creative field. And rather than sitting at home waiting for something to magically happen, you have to get out there and make things happen!

4. What next?Lisa and I work closely together; it’s a unique bond that strengthens what we do. We’re always bouncing ideas off each other and pushing one another to better ourselves, this keeps our work fresh and us excited. Lisa’s just graduated so we can’t wait to go full steam ahead with our treasure trove of ideas and it doesn’t stop at jewellery.

//www.finchittidafinch.com

1. The Princes’ Trust Enterprise Fellowship /www.princes-trust.org.uk/about_the_trust/the_enterprise_fellowship.aspx2. British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN //www.britishfashioncouncil.com/content.aspx?CategoryID=11443. Vauxhall Fashion Scout // www.vauxhallfashionscout.com4. Youth Enterprise Loan Scheme by the Government 5. NESTA //www.nesta.org.uk

Check out these schemes which all help young entrepreneurs develop their businessesPlus, there is often business support available in your local area. Try the:1. Local Council via the Business Support Unit//www.direct.gov.uk/en/dl1/directories/localcouncils/index.htm2. Local Chamber of Commerce//www.britishchambers.org.uk/contact-the-bcc/interactive-cham-ber-map3. Skills Funding Agency //skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/4. Local Enterprise Partnerships via your Local Authority //www.bis.gov.uk/policies/economic-development/leps

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The Skinny Queen The harsh light of dawn signals the beginning of Bingley’s morning routine. This unerringly involves either peeling himself out of some-one else’s bed or kicking something else out of his. Another night, another notch for the liberated skinny queen. With his second fag of the day and morning coffee (non-fat, triple grande, sugar free vanilla caramel macchiato, extra hot and extra foamy please babe… ooh and a double choc muffin – girls gotta have her chocolate!) Bingley is ready to face one more morning. And so he shimmies off to a new day of Uni, and yet another day of clothes from the night before. With his skinny jeans and cut-away singlet revealing the body of an anaemic 8

So Danielle keeps on trying, trying to keep up with the thoroughbreds, always a furlong behind; tweeting and blogging and LOL-ing away. She moves to Shoreditch and pierces and tattoos her body to the point at which she begins to resemble a studded Chinese takeaway menu. She gives up red meat and caffeine and dairy; she eschews the high-street and wanders around look-ing as though she has been spat out by a charity shop. Poor old Danielle, it’s all a bit desperate really. But don’t despair, the thoroughbred’s career, though fabulous, is short lived. Bide your time Danielle and you’ll be walking through the doors of Vogue in no time.

Danielle tries so hard doesn’t she? She’ll spend weeks on a project and then hours trying to convince everyone she’s done nothing. She’ll wake up in the early hours try-ing to piece together the outfit that says she’s not tried too hard, but it just never quite works. She is the try hard who tries so hard not to be; it’s all a bit desperate really isn’t it? She tries to be relaxed, to not care, she really does – but something in her genetic make-up is so intensely anal, so perfectly law-abiding that she is compelled to try, to achieve, to excel. But something inside tries to fight this; somewhere deep within this fashion mule is a desper-ate desire to run with the thoroughbreds – that exciting breed of students, who don’t try, who don’t care – the students who just are.

year old boy, Bingley knows he looks good. So when the only other guy on his course, well ok, not the only guy but the only one worth look-ing at, didn’t even try to come on to him, well now, total social suicide. Bingley and his girls sit at the back, cackling, bitching and re-applying foundation until lunch. Everyone knows that’s where they sit – life would soon become nasty like it did for that fat cow and her friends if Bingley’s seat was taken. He never bothers with afternoon seminars; instead he heads to Primark to pick up something glittery for that night, then Boots for a face-full of free slap. Another day done and another night awaits for the skinny queen.

BY WILLIAM DE MARTIGNY BOOTHILLUSTRATION TARA HESELTINE

what kind of fashion student are you?

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Gabriella loves fashion. It’s all she has ever wanted to do, aside from those embarrassing few months doing sociology at that other Uni, but the less said about that the better. She just didn’t get it ok? Anyhow, she loves fashion so much she decided to take this love in a whole new educational direction by ‘studying’ it at university. She’s always loved designers; Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior to name but a few, though secretly these are the only names she knows. But that’s ok, those are the only designers you need to know right? She loves Audrey Hepburn. She was such a style icon you know? In fact, Gabriella is researching the relation-ship between Hepburn and, oh you know? That design-er? The one who did ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’? Anyway, that’s her next essay. She loves that film. It’s so classy.

style tribe

DESPERATE DANIELLE

The Eco-Avenger Phyllis moves in time with the zealous march of a one-woman army. Determined to prove that she can make a difference, she’ll try her damnedest to ensure that she drags everything and everyone along with her on her miserable quest to a ‘happier world’. Built like a carthorse and, thanks to the abundance of recycled hessian, smelling like one too, Phyllis rep-resents the antitheses of fashionable beauty. Anti-fur, anti-leather, anti-Starbucks - anti-fun Phyllis is a per-petual source of 100% organic, ethically traded and en-vironmentally sustainable ‘pain-in-the-arse’ to all she encounters. Nothing clears a room faster than the judgemental squeak of her recycled rubber soles announcing her approach – lumbering around the corner laden with leaflets; a demonic glee embodies her person as she impales innocent 1st years with horrifying facts prov-ing the end of the world is nigh should they continue to use hairspray. Wide-eyed and terrified, her prey reel from the stench of Phyllis’s home-made deodorant, the sight of her hairy ankles and the glistening of her sweaty upper lip. Her essays have the same fundamentalist tone of a mi-nor terrorist organisation; her waistband expands right-eously thanks to virtuous helpings of organic vegetarian pasta; her hair begins to resemble the inside of a vacu-um cleaner. No one listens, and no one has the heart to tell her that on her only night out with her course-mates at the beginning of the year, she got steaming drunk, fell asleep on a girl’s fur coat and ate a Big Mac.

The Label WhoreYou know the one? The one with the accessories which make you weep with envy and frustration? The one who uses seminars as opportunities for furious online shop-ping? The one who shies away from your dirty paw as you reach to pay homage to their most recent designer purchase? Yes, welcome to the world of the label whore and what’s worse? It’s a boy.

At least with girls they are happy, smug even, to show off the latest addition to their couture stable – with the label whore it’s a different ball game. He guards his purchases with an animalistic jealousy, like a dog with a bitch in heat, stalking inflated price-tags as though they are 3 for 2 in the condiments aisle at Tesco.

The bag’s Celine, the jacket YSL, the trousers Armani, ex-cuse me are you touching? Of course I don’t care what it looks like, don’t you know who it’s by? No touching! Do you know what this cost me?

But does the label whore really look any better for it? Despite our knowing that he has spent the nation’s national debt several times over does it make him an interesting person? He is defined through his purchas-es, unable to accept a compliment without responding with its price and pedigree. And thus the label whore re-mains as faceless and two-dimensional as his limitless credit card.

The Eastern Block The grey light of Dalston filters through the frayed cur-tains into the dank box-room; Sebastian stirs – oh the irony of another grey day in London. Heaving his body upright he sifts through the damp, dirty clothes on the floor. The irony of being a fashion student without any clean clothes briefly amused him and a smile flittered across his sardonic face, before he stopped himself. Smiling was over in the east. How could he forget? Sebastian dressed quickly. Putting his oversized over-coat around his oversized T-shirt, he searched for his oversized glasses. Stuffing his iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac into his battered satchel he began his commute to Uni, pausing in the corridor to exchange morning grunts with the ex-Etonian heroin addict living in the stair-well. Stopping along the way at the independent coffee house where they served the single estate Nicaraguan blend he liked, he sat on the floor outside chatting to the tramp and lit a roll-up cigarette for them to share – the irony of catching a disease from a tramp did not pass him by. Ambling to his bicycle, he noticed the front wheel had been stolen again. The chill wind of Dalston cut him to the bone. Pulling his phone out of the bag, the strap broke and the contents crashed to the floor. Sebastian stood for some time observing the technological car-nage in front of him, before realising - wasn’t it ironic he hadn’t backed up any of his files?

Gabriella loves fashion. It’s all she has ever wanted to do, aside from those embarrassing few months doing sociology at that other Uni, but the less said about that the better. She just didn’t get it ok? Anyhow, she loves fashion so much she decided to take this love in a whole new educational direction by ‘studying’ it at university. She’s always loved designers; Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior to name but a few, though secretly these are the only names she knows. But that’s ok, those are the only designers you need to know right? She loves Audrey Hepburn. She was such a style icon you know? In fact, Gabriella is researching the relation-ship between Hepburn and, oh you know? That design-er? The one who did ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’? Anyway, that’s her next essay. She loves that film. It’s so classy.

style tribe

Of course her parents were disappointed she didn’t stick with sociology, but then again their little Gabby had always been so stylish hadn’t she? After all, it was understandable that Gabriella should find it difficult to concentrate on work, whilst struggling at that other Uni with people who were so different from her. Yes, it makes so much more sense for her to live at home in Hyde Park with all her old school friends around. Funnily enough, quite a few of Gabby’s friends have ended up on the same course as her now, and it is so nice that they have each other – fashion students can be so strange can’t they?

Daddy’s Little Princess

Fashion Directors: Kate White, Irene Ojo-FelixPhotographer: Anna Feneberg

Make up: Gemma WhitbreadHair: Yura Do

Styling Assistants: Li Yin Soh, Laura Natalie Hawkinsmodels: Martine Lervik /ELITe, Kitty /SELECT, Jelis /NEVS

Jessica Walsh University of Westminster

INTO THE LIGHT

Unanimous in their desire for hard hitting, alternative design, this year’s graduates have found creative solace in sportswear. We transported some of our favourite looks to the shadowy enclaves of the London streets to which they brought the light and the life.

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Justine allen College Sir Gar

Stephanie Dewis Birmingham City University

Aiden WeaverUniversity of westminster

Christopher Jayd0n WinneyColchester School of Art

Sarah Stokes Kingston University

Georgia Kennedy University of Salford

Aimee Warduniversity of East London

PHOTOGRAPHER: Ben Weller @ CLMDigital op: Mikael BigunPhoto Assistants: Iain Anderson / Adam GoodisonDigital: c/o/ thanks to Pixi Pixel.

STYLIST: Charlotte Stockdale

HAIR: Eamonn Hughes @ Premier Hair & Makeup / assistant: Mia Parker

MAKEUP: Hiromi @ Julian Watson / assistant: Katy Nicon

MANICURE: Kim Treacy @ Naked

Lara Mullen @ Premier

Moa @ IMG

Harry Goodwins @ Models 1

Hannah Duckworthuniversity of Westminster

colour me beautifulGet a shot of pastel power at gfw

Katie TomlinsonNorthumbria university

Abai Coulson StevensRavensbourne university

21 BEAUTY

Jump into summer with our pick of sizzling beauty tips and trends. Here, we bring you the best beauty looks inspired by the Spring/Summer 2012 collections. From runway to everyday, here are the key GFW catwalk trends to keep you kissing sweet.

Skin The best way to start the makeup process is with a fresh, clean face. For dewy skin in the summer, use primer to help keep makeup from melting into a puddle especially under catwalk lighting. Primer sets the perfect base for foundation to stick so it lasts longer and can help fill in pores for a flawless finish. A contoured face will bring high-definition whether you’re sun bathing or stargazing. Use highlighter on the brow bone, a bit of bronzer on the cheeks, and a matte powder on your t-zone to eliminate the wrong kind of shine.

EyesDeep-sea colours will set you apart this summer. From navy to watery metallic make your statement with darker tones. A dalli-ance with aquatics can be pretty daunting but when set against a natural skin palette this is no Olympic challenge.

LipsDramatic lip colour was a big trend at the Summer 2012 shows. Dark wintry shades of deep purples, rich reds and matte chocolate made the biggest statement set against a naked face. We loved the stained crimson mouths at Giles’ Spring/Summer show, complemented with a hint of blush and loose tousled locks, this was stripped back beauty at its finest.

EyebrowsEyebrows essentially frame the face and an over-plucked eyebrow can make you appear angry and unapproachable. To avoid looking like an angry bird, let a wax or threading profes-sional create a natural shape then just maintain with a sharp pair of tweezers between appointments. Sparse brows? Use a dark brown brow pencil or powder to lightly make strokes that mimic hairs. Never use a black pencil or draw in eyebrows, as it looks unnatural,

HairThis summer, play with your hair and don’t be afraid to change your look. From natural waves to sleek and sheer pony tails we suggest you get adventurous intertwining plaits as seen at Valentino,. Seek out professionals for the best hair care regimes to ensure soft locks keep their bounce with warmer tempera-tures.Or for maximum impact buy a wig!

Nails Creative nail looks can definitely set you apart from the majority. Designers flirted with neons, metallics and pastels for the Spring/Summer season and it’s easy to translate the runway looks. Grab a nail pen, your favourite colours, and try fun patterns like zigzags, polka dots, or for the ultra-lux design a half moon design with contrasting tones.

21 BEAUTY

rimmelFlying the British flag, Rimmel London has come to represent all that is cool and glamorous about London Beauty. From Kate Moss to Georgia Jagger, the Rimmel girl takes us by storm with her rock and roll attitude. We spoke to acclaimed Rimmel make up artist, Kristin Piggot to get the low-down on this summer’s must-have beauty buys.

Can you give us any hints or tips on how to get the best fashion show make up?

You may need to tone down the looks you have seen at fashion shows to make them more wearable, but I would encourage everyone to take inspiration from any make-up you like on the catwalks - don’t be afraid to experiment with make-up looks at home. Re-create the look for yourself by making sure the colours you pick are suited to your skin tone.

Five must have products from the Rimmel collection to get us through the summer?

Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tint is perfect to take you from day to night, with gorgeous shades that give your lips an intense pop of colour that last for hours and a fantastic balm that keeps your lips well moisturised in the sun.

Rimmel Natural Bronzer with SPF8 is perfect for giving you a healthy tanned look whatever the weather! This light & natural looking bronzer is perfect for sculpting your cheekbones giving you that sexy holiday glow.

Eyes are our most important feature and we always want them to look gorgeous and sexy, Rimmel ScandalEyes Water-proof Mascara is an absolute essential on holiday whether you’re in or out of the water, there’s no need to worry about unsightly smudges!

We all love gorgeous holiday sun-kissed skin, Rimmel’s Sun Shimmer Instant Tan Bronzing Spray is a fantastic way to achieve a healthy radiant glow without over exposing your skin to sun damage, and instantly turning you into a bronzed goddess.

Rimmel’s Match Perfection Foundation with SP15 is great for warmer days, it has a long lasting formula that allows your skin to breathe and the SPF provides essential protection on hot summer days.

Any top secret, insider tips on how to get a fresh longer lasting look?

For gorgeous glowing skin it’s essential to prep the skin before applying your make- up, lightly apply Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer to clean moisturized skin, not only will your make up stay in place for longer but it also smoothes away fine lines, gives the skin a radiant glow and controls excessive shine.

How should we make a statement with our make up without going over-board?

A strong lip colour is a great way to make a statement with your make-up. Vibrant reds are a key trend this season, we’ve seen it go from the catwalk to celebrities, and they’re all sporting the statement lip. It’s important to select the correct lip colour to suit your skin tone, you should choose blue/red lip colours if you have more pink undertones in your skin, such as cherry or pinkie reds. And you should wear orange/red lip colours if you have more olive/yellow undertones in your skin, such as fire engine or brick reds. If a bright lip is too daunting you can always start by wearing a lip tint as this is much more subtle look, but will make an impact if you don’t usually wear a lip colour.

What are the biggest make-up trends to watch out for?

Exaggerated eyeliner will be a big trend for next season, Rimmel ‘s Gel Eyeliner is perfect for recreating this winged eye-liner look. Another key trend will also be statement red lips in rich shades.

What is special to you and Rimmel about British style?

I really love the way British people interpret catwalk looks and trends into their own individual style and personality. Rimmel is a great brand because they always have a fantastic selection of colours and products to match everyone’s individual style at affordable prices.

// www.rimmellondon.com

L’Oreal Professionnel

The L’Oréal Professionnel team allows dream hair to become a reality. Like any great fashion accessory the experts at L’Oréal Professionnel continue to excel in their own dream of making hair a beautiful catwalk statement. We spoke to L’Oréal Professionnel expert Catherine McMahon who gave as a run down on the must have products and trends right now.

Best tips for fashion show hair?

“Make sure the hair complements and does not compete with the designs. Don’t over complicate it, especially if the show has more than one designers work, keep it streamlined.”

What is your favourite hair trend right now?

“Volume and texture.”

The L’Oréal Professionnel team’s favourite product for great hair?

“Playball Texture Tonic.”

Best product to keep our hair healthy and in shape this summer?

“Mythic Oil by L’Oréal Professionnel.” (Only available in salons)

What do you think epitomizes British style and hair?

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cLOCKWISE: 1. Mythic oil box 2. HR LIPS 3. Match perfect foundation 4. texture tonic 5.

spray golden 6.scandal eyes 7. Fix and Perfect Primer 8. lr gel pot linet 9. mythic oil

center: natural bronzer

‘

21 :What do you look for in a great journalist?Colin McDowell: The essence of all good writing is an individu-al eye, a confident tone and an ability to keep the readers with you by making them curious to see where you will end. Little of this can be taught. It is either in you or it is not and it is my opinion that only you can bring it out. I look for a certain flair and je ne sais quoi that is actually instantly recognisable as the real deal - usually after no more than a couple of paragraphs.21: Can you offer any advice to Fashion Journalism graduates

trying to break into the industry?CM: Never preach. No matter how strongly you believe in something you must lead people to your point of view. How-ever, you should have opinions strong enough to excite or in-furiate them but the more controversial you wish to be the more certain you must be of your facts. You can never drag your readers with you. One of the reasons why fashion jour-nalism is so dire at this moment is that so few writers have any personality at all. Suzy Menkes scores because she has a long and detailed history as a journalist and that is what gives her pieces a personality. Her personality. Trust yourself and never take another person’s point of view as your own just because it is the current opinion.

21: What can make the difference between a good journalist and a great one?CM: Great is a very big word and great journalists are very rare. As the standards of newspapers fall almost by the week the chances of there being any great writers in the future de-crease by the year. The future of commentary clearly lies not with words but with the image. Image-makers have a long way to go yet to achieve the maturity to change the face of reporting and they will need wordsmiths to help them artic-ulate their skills. But the results will be exciting. It could be the much-needed new era in communication. But, before that happens, editors, writers and commentators must break out

of their comfort zone and start using their imaginations to be-gin shaping the future.

21: What are your feelings about online media such as blog-ging and twitter as a medium for writing fashion journalism?CM: As I see it they have little to do with writing at all. Twitter is shorthand and rarely comes up with a coherent sentence. I consider it a child’s game with no value at all for adults, except to massage their egos and help them to feel that they ‘belong’. Twitters are a harmless self-indulgence of those who are in love with themselves but they give no useful information apart from exposing the weaknesses of the writer. Blogging suffers from the fact that far too many bloggers write with no knowledge at all. In other words they are fun and narcissistic but far too often valueless.

21: What has been your most memorable moment from Grad-uate Fashion Week since your involvement?CM: There have been good Graduate Fashion Weeks and bad. GFW is not the sort of occasion that has memorable moments but its value as a showcase is clear and the experience and exposure that it gives colleges and individuals is, I would im-agine, very worthwhile. I wish more top journalists, stylists and photographers could find the time to attend.

See Colin in conversation at GFW with designers Henry Holland, Roksanda Il-incic, Jean Pierre Braganze and Marcus Wilmont.

‘Colin’s Clinics’ take place on:Sun June 10th 16:45Tues June 12 14:45

Wed June 13th, 14:45 and 16:45For the chance to ask designers your questions tweet @OfficialGFW #GFW2012.

Colin McDowell

Renowned fashion journalist Hilary Alexander sat at the fash-ion director’s helm of the Telegraph for twenty six years be-fore retiring in 2011. CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) award winning journalist and television style critic, Alexander’s dedication to fashion is marked by her celebra-tion of up and coming talent. Following Graduate Fashion Week since its very beginning twenty-one years ago, Alexan-der has climbed its ranks from judge to trustee in her quest to nurture young talent. Praising the ‘tremendous amount of

talent all gathered under one roof’ she has spent the last six months recruiting prestigious judges to assess the ‘extraordi-nary phenomena’ of Graduate Fashion Week. With a judging panel including Mary Katrantzou, Mark Fast and Jefferson Hack, Hilary tells me ‘it is exciting persuading people who have had a connection as a graduate to give something back. It is very inspiring for students, to see that those who have been a success still have time to invest.’

Passing on her judging criteria, Hilary tells me fashion design collections must be ranked according to their ‘creativity, cat-walk appeal, wear-ability, workmanship, originality and use of fabric’. Seeking ‘something which really stands out’ she cham-pions the creative over the commercial, telling me that a ‘final year collection is not specifically designed to be commercial and sold. It is designed to show talents in every sphere...pat-tern cutting, texture, yarn technique, stitch technique...Talent scouts are looking at sense of colour and original design tech-niques’. Alexander is pragmatic and realistic about fashion de-sign graduates entering the industry.

She tells me it is ‘very short sighted just to think you’re going to start your own label, particularly now we’re in a recession. Well known companies like Peacocks and Aquascutum having problems proves that even major brands can’t survive’. Alexan-der advocates ‘getting as much experience in as many areas as

possible... even manufacturing, pattern cutting and weaving. Fashion is a huge business. It is not just about clothes with a label. ’Not merely a champion of fashion design, Alexander praises the extraordinary spectrum of talent found at Gradu-ate Fashion Week- ‘the way students design the actual stands is very inventive. The things they do with fabric, texture and colour. One of the most intriguing stands is that of Northum-bria University’s Marketing Department, they design shops and press releases and there are portfolios worth publishing. It really shows the entire scope of what a fashion education can lead you to do...head hunters must be overwhelmed at the talent.’ Commenting on employment opportunities after graduation, Alexander tells me ‘it is important for students to seize any opportunity presented to them’. Aware of a wide range of employment opportunities, some less publicised and glamorous than others, she states ‘not everyone can be a styl-ist, photographer or model. There are hundreds of areas in the business of fashion in which you can work’. Echoing the ca-reer path of Graduate Fashion Week winner Giles Deacon, who began his design journey at Debenhams, she says ‘it doesn’t matter if you are a huge end designer brand or mass market...you’ll still learn a lot about the business of fashion.’

Hilary Alexander

THE MASTERFUL MCDOWELL

Alexander the Great

THE WRI TE STUFFJournalism is a tricky business, and Fashion Journalism is the trickiest of all as renowned writer Colin McDowell would know after more than 20 years at the fashion frontline. Here he reveals what it takes to stay on trend and on top...

Renowned fashion journalist, and Graduate Fashion Week devotee and trustee, talks to 21 about what makes a winner

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THE WRI TE STUFF

Involved with Graduate Fashion Week for the last five years, Company Magazine are championing the 2012 graduate cause in its recruitment of eight fashion students to guest edit Com-pany’s October issue. The first brainstorming session is due to take place with twenty hopefuls at Graduate Fashion Week, before a final eight are chosen to spend time at the Company offices. Editor-in-chief Victoria White tells me they are look-ing for ‘creative minds to offer over arching assistance, people with big ideas rather than specific stylists, photographers and

writers.’ Supporting the graduate cause, White believes that success in the fashion industry is based on ‘having a creative brain and then applying it to a business idea. Rather than just thinking you like fashion, you have to apply that interest to the next level.’

She tells me ‘we all like clothes, but the fashion industry is centred on if you can make a living out of it’. Commenting on her own field, she tells me her successful seven year editor- in- chief role is not just about liking shoes- ‘everyone likes to shop, but not everyone can be a good journalist. Journalism is about selling things, being inquisitive and creative and seeing a story in things...it doesn’t matter if that is in print, online, on a blog, or in a tweet.’ Embracing the explosion of fashion blogging, White believes when attempting to break into fash-ion journalism ‘a blog is essential’. She says ‘it is a great way to get your name out there. If you can do a really good blog that’s a really valuable commodity to a magazine’. Encouraging the importance of finding a niche subject area and a gap in the online market, she believes success is marked by ‘being an ex-pert in something quite small and finding a space to own it’.

Commenting on successful job applications, White tells me ‘CV’s must stand out in a good way...we get hundreds and hun-dreds of applications, so you really have to stand out. We don’t want you to be horribly wacky or loud, you just have to catch

my attention, and be memorable and exciting’. For White, in-terning is essential and was the key to her own career. With previous work experience at TV Hits Magazine and Inside Soap, White believes that on a magazine ‘the boring stuff really isn’t that boring...I just always loved and appreciated being in the office. The bottom is always going to be basic, but if you find four weeks being in a windowless airless fashion cupboard ex-citing then you know it is the job for you.’

Offering a final piece of advice she tells me aspiring fashion journalists ‘must keep in touch with people and drop past work experience placements a line every now and again.’ Speaking of talented work experience students who have been offered full time employment, she says ‘recruits will always keep turn-ing up, but good interns will always be asked to come back’.

VicTORIA WHITE

GOOD COMPANYCompany Magazine editor-in-chief Victoria White talks to 21 about how to get your fashionable foot in the door...

Drapers Divulge

caroline nodder

21: Where did you work prior to your role as the editor of Drapers?CN: I arrived at Drapers in March last year as a total newcomer to the fashion sector! I previously edited a magazine called The Publican for people running pubs and bars so it’s been quite a steep learning curve – but one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career so far, and everyone has been very kind and allowed me to pick their brains on what’s what in fashion.

21: How are Drapers involved with GFW this year?CN:We have supported GFW for a number of years – I believe one of the key reasons for Drapers to exist is to help promote and encourage new talent in the business and that is exactly what GFW does too. We obviously report from the event itself but this year we have set up a Drapers Jobs (DrapersJobs.com is our recruitment website) stand where we will be offering advice for first jobbers and putting them in touch with potential employers. We will also be publishing a special issue of Drapers after the event with full coverage of the final shows.

21: Why do you think GFW is so important?CN:Graduates these days face a much tougher time than I ever did finding a job. It is not easy in such a competitive industry, particularly at a time when the financial crisis is squeezing a lot of consumers and businesses. So GFW is an essential part of helping the new generation ease into work. College can be quite an isolated bubble – it’s a great place to nurture talent but can leave graduates quite naïve when it comes to commercial pressures. To emerge with a good grounding in how to make your talent pay is important, so the knowledge GFW can impart and the exposure it can give to new talent is crucial.

21: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing young fashion graduates at the moment?CN:There is enormous pressure. From the competition from all the other graduates out there, to shrinking opportunities within commercially pressured companies, and of course business pressures associated with setting up your own fashion brand if that is the route you choose. It’s

about as tough as it has been in my lifetime, but then some of the talent coming through is the best it’s ever been in the UK too so there is a positive side too!

21: What do you think makes a successful fashion brand?CN:Creative and unique design handwriting, quality product and commercial acumen.

21: What advice would you give to young graduates applying for jobs?CN:Don’t give up! I had about 50 straight rejections before I got my first job in journalism, including being turned down by Concrete Monthly. Keep going, and don’t let it dent your confidence.

21: What’s your favourite part of your job as editor-in-chief?CN:That’s a really hard one – I enjoy pretty much all of it! But if I had to pick one thing it would be seeing people in my team move up – and one day take over! Someone once told me: ‘Always employ people who are better than you.’

21: Is there anything you wish you had known when you were embarking on your own career?CN:Yes – no-one else knows what they’re doing either! Don’t be afraid to look stupid, and never be afraid to make mistakes.

Drapers Editor-In-Chief Caroline Nodder discusses advice, rejection and the business of fashion with 21...

39

Buyer’s EyeKnowing the answer to this question could be they key to your success as a designer. By get-ting your fashion designs in stores it gives you credibility, exposure and prestige. Stores have a large customer base, a vast amount of foot traff ic, and well-marketed online sites that can

really help to launch your brand.

21 gets the inside scoop on what four fashion buyers are looking for when reviewing lines from new designers, where they go to f ind them and how to stand out in the crowd.

BY CHLOE FOSBROOK

Louise Bailey Senior Branded Buyer of House of Fraser

21: What do you look for in a new collection?Louise Bailey: London is a fantastic city of emerging talent. Design graduates convey a huge amount of creativity, which is brilliant, but it’s important to combine this with a keen sense of commerciality that ultimately works for the consumer. I look for new, inspiring and creative designers that truly understand the commercial aspect to the industry.

21: What should a young designer do to stand out and grab the attention ofw buyers?LB: It is essential that young designers under-

stand their market. Once they have a good un-derstanding of the marketplace it’s all about having the passion to back their ideas and stay true to their positioning.

21: Where do you go to find new designers?LB: I scour markets both locally and interna-tionally on buying trips and often get sent look books from both graduates and established designers showcasing their work. Work expe-rience goes a long way to building important links with designers that can flourish into fu-ture opportunities.

Luisa De Paula Buying & Merchandising Director of my-wardrobe.com

21: What do you look for in a new collection?Luisa De Paula: A new collection needs to have new ideas that would appeal to our customer base. Print and colour always stand out online so collections, which feature either or both, could be winners.

21: What should a young designer do to stand out and grab the attention of buyers?LDP: Visually stand-out collections that are wearable coupled with sound business acu-men. They need to understand their adjacen-cies with other brands and have their collec-

tion priced accordingly. They also need to have their manufacturing organised to deliver on time, as this is key for retailers.

21: Where do you go to find new designers?LDP: New designers can be found in exhibi-tions, showrooms or sometimes people email us their look book to review.

Louise Bailey: Learn from set backs and use the knowledge you gain to better improve yourself. Stay true to your inspiration and be passionate about what you do, and most of all know your market.

Aalish Maddrell: Always be original and true to your personality and taste when it comes to your collections, but make sure to keep an eye on commerciality. A beautiful piece will only be successful if it is comfortable and affordable. And pay attention to detail.

Aalish MaddrellHead of retail buyer for Austique

21: What do you look for in a new collection?Aalish Maddrell: We are always looking for something fresh that can’t be found on the high street. We like to offer our customers spe-cial pieces that will make them feel like they look their absolute best; that comes down to beautiful fabrics, feminine prints and a great cut. It’s all in the detail.

21: What should a young designer do to stand out and grab the attention of buyers?AM: I am sent hundreds of e-mails a week from designers trying to get their products into our store. Many of these e-mails just don’t cut it because they are not produced professionally.

Producing a high quality look book, with fab-ulous styling is a great way to grab the atten-tion of buyers. Videos are an exciting and un-derused medium in this context – I would love to see more collections in motion. It’s the best way to showcase a beautiful piece.

21: Where do you go to find new designers?AM: I am always looking for new designers. Wherever I travel I scour stores for inspiration, look at blogs, magazines and of course the red carpet. Getting a piece from your collection on the right celebrity at the right event is a sure fire way to get great coverage. It was the Oscars that launched Jimmy Choo into the big time!

RUTH CHAPMAN CEO and Co-founder of Matches

21: What do you look for in a new collection?Ruth Chapman: A gut instinct, a buzz, a point of difference from everything else on the market. Also a very high level of quality, and a commit-ment to deliver and work with a retailer from the designers.

21: What should a young designer do to stand out and grab the attention of buyers?RC: They should network and try to meet and talk to as many people as possible within the industry, don’t be shy, get their personality seen

in the market place. Get contact details and send their look books over to people to view. Pull all the stops out to create a look book that you can e-mail to people.

21: Where do you go to find new designers?RC: London is the best place to find new de-signers and London Fashion Week provides the perfect opportunity for picking up new labels, however we do also pick up new labels from New York, London and Paris and sometimes even as far afield as Brazil or Australia.

Luisa De Paula: Be organised, understand the market and deliver polished collections on time.

Ruth Chapman: Make sure your quality is exceptional, make sure you are convinced about your factories – the worst thing you can do is let people down when they are committed to your stock. Create some key press pieces within your collection. Engage with social media. Keep your costs down and talk to someone to get financial advice. Take it easy, go slowly and steady, don’t run before you can walk.

Advice for graduate designers

//www.houseoffraser.co.uk

// www.matchesfashion.com

//ww.austique.co.uk

// www.my-wardrobe.com

40

t 020 7550 5540e careers@bloomretail.co.ukbloomretail.co.uk

Use keywordsrelevant to whatyou want to do –let them see youspeak the lingo

Ways to make yours a winner...

Get a glowing CV

Put your best foot forward

BE HONESTTHROUGHOUT!The interview will endpretty sharpish if theyrumble you and thinkyou’re blagging it!

Be confident and SMILE!

:-)

Check for

correct

spelling and

grammar –

“retail is detail”!

Be yourself! It ’s

important to not

only answer the

questions – dazzle

them with your

personality too.

Research is key

know some key facts about the

business. Be sure to have visited at

least one store, and studied the

website.

Create a SWOT analysis to go

straight to the top of the class!

Be early – but never by morethan 10 minutes.“Reception loitering” is a bigfaux pas.

Keep it on-track...That babysitting when you were12, and the Saturday job at theflorists in 2007 are not of use in landing your dream job now, so chop it out.Don’t write long-winded

cover letters – keep it

short and relevant. And

be sure to email your

CV...snail mail is so not

cool in 2012!

Clear Layout

• Use

• Bullet

• Points

• Not

• Lengthy

• Paragraphs

Nobody reads waffle

How to nail that interview...

Dress as if you already

work there, reflecting the

brand’s “look”. Keep it

smart casual

and FASHIONABLE.

No suits, but no sloppy

jeans either. And nothing

too low-cut for the ladies

please...

Have a couple of questions toask at the end. Your develop-ment and training are goodtopics. Holiday entitlementand if you could leave earlyfor band practice (!) are notparticularly advised.

BLA.019-BG-GFW 420x297 AW 18/5/12 16:32 Page 1

TOP TIPS

Christopher Bailey , Creative Director of Burberry :‘‘At Burberry, we assume that people have talent. Therefore, we are look-

ing for people with culture. We want to see passion. We want people who love people and who want to learn. So stay curi-

ous and come with a smile. Energy is the key thing.” Lucinda Chambers, Fashion Director at Vogue UK:“It

is only hard work and talent that will bring you through the right doors.” Domenico Dolce ,Co-Design-

er of Dolce & Gabbana: “You have to believe in your work. It has to be a religion. You have to think: in life there is fashion, and basta!” Stefa-

no Gabbana, Co-Designer of Dolce & Gabbana : “Be strong and never stop.”Roksanda Ilincic, Designer: “Stay focused. Be surround-

ed by a few key people whose opinions you trust. Don’t take advice from everybody.”

BY MADELEINE GOUBAU

Nicholas Kirkwood, Designer: “ The most important thing is to have a voice. There is a lot of competition out there. You have to stand

out from the crowd. Before launching your own brand, you need to feel that you are ready and you need some experience. Some

people want to get out of college and start their own line. I think internships with established designers can teach you a lot.” Tom

Ford, Designer: “ Try as hard as possible to make a capsule collection and show it

to people who can help you.” Polly Vernon, Fashion Journalist: “I think the best you can possibly do is to write all the

time. E-mails, letters, articles… you’ve got to find a voice. You have to be fluent. It has to come easily. You have to be interested by

people and to be aware all the time. “ Jeff Banks , Fashion Designer and Founder of GFW “Be re-

ally conscious of the fragility of our planet. Whatever you do, bear in mind what you are

doing and do something that contributes to the fruitfulness of our planet. You reap what

you sow. Don’t be greedy. Don’t expect everything on a plate. Don’t do anything detri-

mental to your environment and the people in your environment. If you do that, you’ll be

hugely successfully. Success doesn’t have to be judged in monetary terms.” Angela Quaintrell , Ex- Senior Fashion Buyer at Liberty, Fashion Con-sultant: “Plot your path, give a reason to buy, be a bulldog.” Jackie JS Lee Designer “Enjoy what you do and don’t waste the time you have now. Learn as much as you can even though it’s not always about fashion.”42

TOP TIPS

Louise Roe , Fashion Journalist: “Don’t ever give up, even when you’re not being paid and mak-

ing tea/photocopying everyday on an internship. It will be worth it in the end! And be proac-

tive: start a blog, review the shows from pics on Style.com, do a shoot in your back garden...

all those extras look very impressive to prospective employers.” Stella McCartney,

Designer: “Stay true to yourself. Don’t try to be

something you are not, it never lasts very long.”

Percy Gilbert , Senior Menswear Designer at Ben Sherman: “I’d say take opportunities very seriously, I heard that McQueen had been around

at Graduate Fashion Week so I went and found him and loads happened, amongst other things a work placement and even some paid work.

My first full-time fashion job was also just approaching a company at an exhibition, I hadn’t even heard of them. I have many more stories

like that, but yes take opportunities seriously, you’ll gain experience and you never know where it will lead.” Gemma Mether-

ingham, Joint Managing and Creative Director of Karen Millen: “Be open

to every opportunity, network, meet lots of people and be prepared

to be flexible about what you’re prepared to do. Once you’ve got a

start in the industry you can make your mark and grow your career.” Col-

in McDowell Senior Fashion Commentator & Fashion Journalist): “Trust yourself. And if others do not trust what you write - or are indifferent to it - find another

job. There are far too many time-serving hacks around already, thank you very much!” Hasan Hejazi, Designer: “You have to know that it’s 100% what you want to do. It’s not just about talent - you’ve got to have the balls to sell yourself.”Paul Smith , Designer: “ Keep your dream, but subsidise your dream with some-

thing else. Work in a shop, do internships. Life and work is about balance between your aspiration and what

helps you to pay the bills. Do things which are right, not which are easy. Never assume, always double check.” 43

...about to take your first steps in the fashion business?

Are you a graduate?

No need for a computerDownload our iPhone app and search for jobs on the go

Get the best jobs first Set up email alerts and get the roles you want direct to your inbox

Let recruiters find you Upload your CV and get headhunted

Visit for all your fashion career needs

Looking to recruit?Drapersjobs.com is also the perfect place to make your next fashion industry hireCall +44 (0)20 7728 5514 or +44 (0)20 7728 3516.Email Laura.Gee@emap.com and Annie.Hogan@emap.com The Niche Job Board Award

THE LEADING INTERNATIONAL EVENT FOR FASHION GRADUATES

10 - 13 JUNE 2012 | EARLS COURT 2

SUNDAY 10 JUNE13.00 UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON 14.30 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE 16.00 EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART 17.30 NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY 19.00 UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD

MONDAY 11 JUNE14.30 DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY 16.00 ARTS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE AT BOURNEMOUTH & NORTHBROOK COLLEGE SUSSEX 17.30 NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY 20.00 UCA ROCHESTER

TUESDAY 12 JUNE12.00 INTERNATIONAL SHOW: AMSTERDAM FASHION INSTITUTE, ESMOD BERLIN, ISTITUTO MARANGONI MILAN & PARIS 13.00 BATH SPA UNIVERSITY & WILTSHIRE COLLEGE SALISBURY 14.30 UCA EPSOM 16.00 BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY 17.30 MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY 20.00 KINGSTON UNIVERSITY

WEDNESDAY 13 JUNE15.30 GALA SHOW 1 20.00 GALA SHOW 2

TWITTER.COM/OFFICIALGFW #GFW2012

WWW.GFW.ORG.UK

GRADUATE FASHION WEEK FEATURES GRADUATES FROM 53 DIFFERENT COURSES FROM 40 UNIVERSITIES

*TERMS & CONDITIONS:This page entitles the holder to an additional 10% off the existing 10% NUS student discount available at Karen Millen, accumulating to a total of 20% off the Spring Summer 2012 collection available from 10th June to 16th June 2012. For in store redemption present this page accompanied with your valid NUS card at the time of purchase, photocopies are not acceptable. Discount must be applied for at the time of purchase and cannot be applied for at a later date or after 16th June 2012. This offer is redeemable in Karen Millen UK standalone stores only. This offer is not redeemable in Karen Millen concessions, outlets or online at karenmillen.com. Offer is not available in conjunction with any other offer. Discount available on full-price items only. Excludes gift card purchases. Offer not available to staff of Karen Millen or associated companies. Go to karenmillen.com for full store listing.

To celebrate Graduate Fashion Week 2012 Karen Millen has teamed up with leading Blogger, Five Five Fabulous, to create inspiring looks for you for a budget of under £250 from a statement graduation outfit to polished workwear for your first step on the career ladder.

GRADUATION:‘For graduation I recommend you avoid black so I’ve edited a white jersey dress with an impeccable Karen Millen signature flattering fit and then add in a colour pop in the form of these fabulous peep toe shoes.’

OFF DUTY:‘Floral prints are huge for summer and there’s no better way to wear them then in a beautifully structured pair of trousers.’

POLISHED WORK WEAR:‘I believe you should always wear something in the workplace that can take you effortlessly from day to night. This body-con skirt and tribal print top do just that.’

One of the great success stories of British Fashion, Karen Millen is internationally renowned for offeringversatile investment pieces that provide attainable luxury and effortless polished glamour for women worldwide. The collections encompass all the essentialcomponents of a modern wardrobe and are designed

to become cherished staples. Each item is crafted from luxury fabrics with impeccable attention to detail and feature the brands signature flattering fit ensuring that Karen Millen is the go-to destination for distinctive investment pieces around the world, whether it is for perfectly tailored work-wear, a

distinctive LBD or a sumptuous leather jacket. Karen Millen now has flag-ship stores in prestigious fashion cities around the world including London, Madrid, New York, Moscow, Berlin, Sydney, L.A, Hong Kong and Paris.

Reem Kanj founded Five Five Fabulous in 2009 after graduated with a BA in Surface Textiles from London College of Fashion. Graduating during the peak of the economic crisis, Reem focused on putting her efforts into creating her own role in the industry.

Since the launch of Five Five Fabulous, Reem has found her self juggling her role as Editor of her own website as well as being a brand ambassador between London and

Dubai. You can also find Reem revisiting the prestigious University of the Arts London, where she graduated from three years ago as a ‘Special Lecturer’. Gaining so much experience in her industry, Reem also works as a Fashion and New Media consultant for brands ranging from start ups to high end luxury names.

Website – fivefivefabulous.com

Reem Kanj FIVE FIVE FABULOUS

LUXE FOR LESS3 LOOKS FOR UNDER £250

EXCLUSIVE GFW 20% DISCOUNT*

KM Graduate Fashion Week Page 9th May .indd 4 17/05/2012 15:53