The British Fashion Council (BFC) today announce the winners of the BFC’s Colleges Council Portfolio Awards, supported by Drapers. The Royal College of Art won ‘Best Portfolio on Overall Presentation’ and Edinburgh College of Art won ‘Best Portfolio for Fashion Illustrator’ – a new award at this event. London College of Fashion and Kingston University were highly commended. The inaugural ‘WGSN Digital Presentation Award’, which recognises the increasing relevance of this medium, went to the University of Salford. Drapers editor Lauretta Roberts and WGSN’s senior editor Chris Coleman, presented the awards which were announced during the BFC’s Colleges Council Graduate Preview Day which took place at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) building, on Tuesday 28th April 2009.
The 27 exhibiting colleges were judged by Anne Tyrrell, BFC Colleges Council Chair, Lauretta Roberts, editor of Drapers, Chris Coleman senior editor at WGSN, Gary Edgley menswear buyer for Selfridges, Ed Burstell, buying director for Liberty and designer Todd Lynn.
The BFC’s Colleges Council Graduate Preview Day is organised by the British Fashion Council to foster relationships between graduates and the industry. The UK provides one of the largest pools of fashion design talent in the world. This event recognises the need to nurture that talent through industry links and placements. A wide range of retailers, manufacturers and design companies spent the day talking to course leaders, reviewing portfolios and making a note of students they are interested in working with as they enter the job market, post graduation this summer. Attendees included organisations such as Selfridges, Browns, Warehouse, Boden, Bellville Sassoon, John Lewis, Feathers, Liberty of London, Issa, Stephen Jones, Orla Kiely and Hannah Marshall as well as representatives from the media.
Lauretta Roberts, editor of Drapers and judge, said “I’m exhausted, we’ve seen so many fantastic portfolios. It’s great to see the event grow in strength year on year and give recognition to how hard these tutors work. I would also like to thank our great judges who give up their time and make the day so special.”
Tristan Webber, senior tutor of womenswear at the Royal College of Art, said of their success “The whole event has been really interesting as it shows how much the standard of education has risen since we were last here. Ours is an MA course so it is a great opportunity for us to continue ties with our BA colleagues. It’s been really illuminating to see how much the day has to offer.”
Chris Coleman, senior editor of WGSN, said “It’s been very interesting to see how many colleges are beginning to take online presentations and formatting seriously along with students who are using blogs to create social networks with other designers. Next year I hope to see even more variety as knowledge in this field continues to grow.”
Anne Tyrrell, Colleges Council Chair and judge summed the day up by saying “This is the highest standard that we’ve ever seen. All five judges found it very difficult to choose the winner. It is such a useful day as it provides so many people with an opportunity to see 28 colleges under one roof.”
ENDS
Note to Editor:
The 27 exhibiting colleges included Bath Spa University, Birmingham City University, De Montfort University, Doncaster College, Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot Watt University, Kingston University, Leeds College of Art and Design, Liverpool John Moores University, London College of Fashion, Manchester School of Art, Nottingham Trent University, Plymouth College of Art, Ravensbourne College of Design and Communications, Royal College of Art, University for the Creative Arts, University of Brighton, University of East London, University of Huddersfield, University of Leeds, University of Northampton, University of Northumbria, University of Salford, University of the West of England, University of Wales, Newport, University of Westminster and Wiltshire College Salisbury.
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