Follow us

Menu
PARTNER WITH USFREE NEWSLETTER
VISIT TheIndustry.beauty

Graduate Fashion Foundation to launch Black Excellence Prize award

Tom Shearsmith
07 April 2021

Graduate Fashion Foundation has announced the evolution of its partnership with FACE, (Fashion Academics Creating Equality) to include a new prize that aims to provide visibility to Black excellence in the industry.

The award is open to all Black and Brown final year students in any BA fashion related course in the UK and the winner will be presented with their prize as part of the annual Graduate Fashion Week Awards held in June, following two rounds of judging panels.

For the first time in its 30-year history, the prize is open to all further education institutions and not just those that are members of the Graduate Fashion Foundation with students able to nominate themselves by submitting their final projects alongside video or written statements in support of their work.

The award will be judged by an industry panel including NewGen Prize-winning and LVMH Award Shortlisted Designer Bianca Saunders, Creative Director and Cultural Curator Harris Elliott and Designer, Educator and Co-Founder of FACE Andrew Ibi.

Joy Campbell, Director of Brand Partnerships at Graduate Fashion Foundation said: “The Graduate Fashion Foundation exists to elevate exceptional creative talent to the industry that they want to work in. For too long Black and Brown creatives have been under-represented in the fashion industry and this prize will be an important step forward in acknowledging and celebrating these creatives and we are proud to be here to help amplify the important work that FACE are doing”.

Andrew Ibi, FACE Co-Founder, Educator, judge and award winning alumni of GFW added: “Being a Black student in education continues to be a challenge but being a Black student in Fashion 25 years ago was a different proposition altogether. GFW was an opportunity for me to communicate fashion through culture and push some very powerful Black narratives. Winning was a surprise - but the storytelling was undoubtedly some of the most powerful seen at GFW.”

Free NewsletterVISIT TheIndustry.beauty
cross