Fashion talents are on the shortlist for national awards
Uni pair’s delight over graduate nominations
TWO Staffordshire University students have been shortlisted for coveted awards on offer at the prestigious Graduate Fashion Week.
BA (Hons) fashion students Louise Rutter and Charlotte Trow have both been recognised for their final-year projects.
Louise has scooped nominations in the Considered Fashion Award and Fashion Marketing Award categories for an advertising campaign focused on sustainability and the impacts of fast fashion on the environment.
Course mate Charlotte is in the running for the Fashion Communications Portfolio Award in recognition of her project inspired by noughties nostalgia.
Every year, the Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF) hosts awards to inspire students to become innovators, environmental leaders, employees, and educators.
Twenty prizes are on offer during Graduate Fashion Week 2022, the world’s largest showcase of BA fashion talent, which is taking place in King’s Cross in London this week.
Judged by industry professionals and ambassadors, the GFF awards are a prestigious accolade for graduates to receive and cover textile design, styling and creative direction, photography and marketing.
Working in collaboration with film and drama students, Louise produced two adverts with sustainability embedded into the production. She used props she already had or borrowed, and the models used their own clothes to avoid buying items that would only be worn once.
The 24-year-old from Longton said: “The enormous growth of fast fashion, along with willing consumers who are unaware of the direct impacts their purchases make, inspired me to create a visual ad campaign to inform them, as they have a right to make informed decisions.
“I didn’t expect to be shortlisted when I got put forward by the university – that was an honour in itself. To get shortlisted for two awards feels like quite an achievement.”
Charlotte held focus groups with her target market to discuss first-hand experiences of fashion and lifestyle in the 2000s. She used digital drawing, photo editing and hand drawn techniques to create her final editorials and also focused on visual media, creating a detailed social media marketing plan.
Charlotte, aged 22, who is also from Longton, said: “Many of my target market were young girls in the 2000s, and my fun scrapbook style editorials re-create that feeling of youth and scrapbooking your favourite celebs. The project is meant to be fun, expressive, and colourful, made for a girl who is bold and exciting in her fashion choices.
“It is a great feeling to be recognised for the hard work it has taken me to reach my final project, and the opportunity to broaden my network and get my name out there. I did not expect to be shortlisted, which is why this is so exciting and has given me a huge confidence boost.”
The pair will present their work in person this week for the final judging and will get the chance to network with fellow fashion students and industry professionals before the winners are announced in a glittering awards ceremony.