Earlier this month, I took a group of Year 9 and 12 students to Graduate Fashion week, which was held in Shoreditch, London.

Over the past few years, Graduate fashion week has been a great hub for students to gather inspiration and ideas and also for them to see the potential pathways they could take throughout the fashion and textiles industry.

On arrival, we were greeted and whisked straight up to the fashion show, which featured a number of dresses, coats, trousers and some spectacular all-in-one outfits, produced by some of the best students across the country.

The theme of the fashion show was ‘Sustainability’, so all the collections shown, incorporated some form of sustainable design.

After the fashion show, there was also a panel of judges, who selected the winning sustainable collection. They discussed important issues, such as where our fabric comes from, how our clothes are made and what they are made from, encouraging students to really think carefully about how they design.

After the fashion show, students were able to walk around the exhibition, and look at the sketchbooks and products on display as well as speak to designers and industry experts. It was amazing to see unconventional materials, like wood and plastic being used in innovative ways to create fantastic fashion items.

I really look forward to seeing the upcoming work of our students at Bushey Meads in the new year, featuring new inventive techniques and ideas!

Have a read of some of the comments from our students below.

It was very inspiring, especially when we were able to wander around and have a look at the designers sketchbooks.

Lauren Roberts – Year 9

The part of the trip I enjoyed the most was the fashion show because it gave me ideas that will help me with GCSE next year. One I remember in particular was a collection made in a rose gold colour, all made from recycled plastics!

Nehal Pabari – Year 9

What I enjoyed most was seeing the projects of the graduates and seeing how they had approached their chosen project. It also was interesting to see how they presented and developed their ideas.

The trip gave me inspiration of how to communicate my own ideas, especially leading into Year 13. It also made me think about the wider possibilities of creating products within the realm of textile design.

The piece that stands out most in my memory was a coat that had been made entirely out of plastic and shredded paper.

Thalia Russell – Year 12