Five Ravensbourne finalists at Graduate Fashion Week 2018

June 11th 2018

Three Ravensbourne students made the finalists lists for the GFW18 Awards, with a further two named in the 25 ‘Best of Graduate Fashion Week’ list at the Gala Show.

Final year students from the BA (Hons) Fashion and BA (Hons) Fashion Accessory Design courses showcased their collections at the Ravensbourne catwalk show on Monday, affording an exclusive opportunity to see the designs they have been working on throughout the year at the world’s leading event for recent fashion graduates.

Work from the BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management and BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion courses were also displayed throughout the week on the Ravensbourne stand, G5, alongside select pieces from the design based courses.

BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion student Megan Davies achieved second place in the ‘BOOHOO Social Media Award’ for her gender neutral makeup brand ‘Skin’, out of multiple entries from across the university sector for this award. Her product responds to the fact the makeup market is often very female focused, positioning itself to appeal to the new ‘genderless generation’.

BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management student Abeni Carvalho achieved second place in the ‘Mothercare Childrenswear Award’ for ‘Project Panda’, a multi-purpose unisex childrenswear brand that aims to excite and educate on the environment. The brand aims to be completely transparent in production, and every aspect will be sustainable.

BA (Hons) Fashion Buying and Brand Management student Ellie Rocks scooped second place in the prestigious and highly competitive ‘New Business Award’ with ‘Wurvy’, an adaptive streetwear brand designed to be disability friendly.

Additionally, two of Ravensbourne’s BA (Hons) Fashion students made the final 25 students recognised in the ‘Best of Graduate Fashion Week’ list.

Eni Elfreda Fakoya was selected for her menswear collection ‘Not All Who Wander Are Lost’, which was inspired by the biblical story, 'The Tower of Babel'. The collection explores a group of travelers and how their backgrounds and treasures manifest in their uniforms.

Chantelle Guan came second in the Gala Show for the esteemed M&S Womenswear Award. Her collection is based on the story of a doll that travels through “a windstorm tunnel to get to the other side of the solstice summer”. It explores the transition from youth to maturity, incorporating influences from sportswear and a mix of heavy and light fabrics.

Commenting, Eni said: “Being one of the finalists is not something I expected at all. I have been working on this concept for quite some time so getting to share it with people on such a big platform was exciting and very nerve-wracking. I knew I would spend the 24 hours very busy and nervous but I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did — from showing the dressers how each garment worked, to restyling looks, getting interviewed for the Debenhams and Christopher Bailey Award and experiencing my own show for the first time.

“The judges were polite and approachable and the other finalists were very supportive. By the end we were all mutual fans and plan to keep in touch. It has been the most fulfilling and rewarding experience of my fashion career so far and has made me a lot more confident about the future.”

Chantelle said: “Being shortlisted for the ‘Best of Graduate Fashion Week’ was an honour. It was amazing to meet all of the other designers and share the experience with them. The day went by very quickly and as the hours passed, my nerves started to kick in. We patiently waited to receive an interview with companies and designers judging the awards.

“I was called to speak to the M&S judging panel: Belinda Earl, Tania Littlehales and Queralt Ferrer. The feedback I received was very positive. They understood my concept and its deliverance. Before I knew it, I was watching my own catwalk for the first time from the audience. My mind was blown as I watched my creations come to life. To top the night off, I was then announced as a runner-up for the M&S Womenswear Award!”

Caroline Gilbey, Associate Dean for the Department of Fashion added: “Graduate Fashion Week is one of the most important events in our calendar and I was thrilled to show off the projects and collections our students have been working so hard on over the last academic year. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see so many of them shortlisted and come within the top two in so many categories of the GFW18 Awards — a real testament to their hard work and creativity.”

Find out more about Ravensbourne’s Department of Fashion on their webpage.