GFW 2015: And the Awards Go To…
03-06-2015
Held last night (2nd June) the Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) Awards ceremony was attended by the likes of Laura Whitmore, Bip Ling, Julien Macdonald OBE, Suzy Menkes, Holly Fulton and Gok Wan.
GFW sponsor George at Asda selected Hannah Wallace as the 2015 winner of the much-coveted George Gold Award. The 24-year-old, from Manchester School of Art saw off competition from hundreds of aspiring fashion designers, as her talent shone through against stiff competition from the brightest fashion stars of the future.
George Gold Award Winner – Hannah Wallace
Her innovative menswear designs impressed the prestigious panel of judges – including George Vice President of Product Development and Design Fiona Lambert, Stylist and Presenter Gok Wan, Fashion Designer Julien Macdonald OBE and renowned Fashion Journalist Hilary Alexander OBE amongst others. She not only scooped the best collection in show, but picked up the Creative Catwalk Collection Award as well.
(Image right: Suzy Menkes and Hilary Alexander)
Following in the footsteps of prestigious Gold Award winning alumni such as Stella McCartney, Julien MacDonald OBE and Christopher Bailey, Hannah Wallace will be given a unique head start in the retail industry, winning not only two awards, but a £10,000 cash prize from George at Asda to get her fashion career off the ground.
Hannah Wallace, 2015 Creative Catwalk Award winner and George Gold Award winner, said: “I’m completely overwhelmed at winning these awards. It’s a dream come true and I am just so pleased that all of the hard work has paid off. You dream about seeing your collection on the catwalk and being able to show at Graduate Fashion Week, with this result, is an incredible experience.”
Fiona Lambert, Vice President of Product and Development Design at George comments:
“Every year, Graduate Fashion Week astounds us. I have been incredibly impressed by the creativity, level of detail and the workmanship. We chose Hannah Wallace as the George Gold Award winner because her designs showcased such dexterity of craftsmanship, which gave incredible silhouettes. Her collection is unique and shows pattern cutting skills at their best.”
Senior media representative for FashionCapital.co.uk, Paul Markevicius had his money on Melissa Villevielle from Edinburgh College of Art, and indeed she was selected bagging the 2015 Womenswear Award. To read Paul’s interview with her please click here.
Graduate Fashion Week 2015 award winners:
· The George Gold Award and Creative Catwalk Award – Hannah Wallace, Manchester School of Art
· Womenswear Award, Catwalk Textiles Award and David Band Textiles Award – Melissa Villevielle, Edinburgh College of Art
· Menswear Award & Stuart Peters Visionary Knitwear Award – Ella Nisbett, Nottingham Trent University (pictured right)
· Fashion Marketing Award – Chloe Draper, University of East London
· Fashion Photography Award – Jodie Cox, University of Salford
· Fashion New Media Award Jasmine MacPhee, Ravensbourne
· Fashion Innovation Award Hannah Sykes, Manchester School of Art
· Fashion Styling & Creative Direction Award Izzy Whitley, University of Salford
Images courtesy of GETTY
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2015 Graduate Focus: Alice Hoyle
