Debenhams to return as headline sponsor of Graduate Fashion Week 2025

Debenhams is set to return as headline sponsor of Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) for the sixth time this summer.

The next edition will once again be held at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in East London, taking place from 13-16 June 2025.

As part of the sponsorship, Debenhams will again host its Catwalk to Collection Award, offering aspiring designers the chance to win a 12-month contract with the retailer and develop a full collection.

Last year’s winner, Eleanor McMahon, from the Manchester Fashion Institute, along with two other "standout" designers, secured contracts and will see their collections launch this summer.

This time around, 20 shortlisted designers will take part in the Debenhams Catwalk Show, which will be hosted on the opening night of Graduate Fashion Week (13 June).

The catwalk show will be curated by the Debenhams team, showcasing the very best commercial collections produced by graduate designers at British universities that are members of the Graduate Fashion Foundation.

The award harks back to the old ‘Designers at Debenhams’ programme, first introduced in 1993, which fostered talents including Julian MacDonald, Matthew Williamson and Henry Holland.

GFW is hosted by the Graduate Fashion Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to giving young people the best possible start in the fashion industry.

Over the past 33 years, more than 100,000 students have been supported by the charity, which has been responsible for launching the likes of Stella McCartney and Giles Deacon, among many others.

Debenhams headline sponsorship builds on its long standing partnership with the Graduate Fashion Foundation, which it has worked with since 2016 supporting nearly 30,000 aspiring fashion creatives.

Dan Finley, CEO at Debenhams Group said: "The fashion industry is notoriously competitive and difficult to break into, which is why I’m proud to once again be supporting Graduate Fashion Week. Throughout its history, Debenhams has always been known for working with the very best British designers, and our partnership reflects our commitment to fostering the next generation of talent in fashion and design.

"Right now, some of the most exciting fashion is coming from emerging talent, pushing boundaries in ways we haven’t seen before - I can’t wait to see what they do next."

Debenhams was bought out of liquidation for £55 million in January 2021 by Boohoo Group, in a deal which included the Debenhams brand, website and own brand products across fashion and beauty, but not its stores. As a result, the remaining 118 Debenhams stores shut for good as it became an online-only operation.

Earlier this month, Boohoo Group rebranded to Debenhams Group as it hailed the turnaround of the department store brand which it said is now a "majority contributor to group profitability".

Nicola Hitchens, Charity and Event Director at Graduate Fashion Foundation, said: "We are thrilled to see the incredible support from Debenhams.com continue to grow to the new Debenhams Group. Our vital work in supporting emerging talent across the fashion industry couldn’t continue without the support of Debenhams this year.

"We are excited to see the headline partnership come to fruition across a plethora of engaging events and activations alongside incredible opportunities offered to our member universities graduates as they enter the industry."