Julie J Seo – AmeliasMagazine

Holly Jayne Smith by Sine Skau.

I have been attending Graduate Fashion Week for six years now and every year I wonder how such young designers manage to be so creative. Once again the final 25 collections showcased in last week’s Gala Show were truly outstanding and revealed a wide range of talent to watch. The night began on a poignant note with a moment’s thought for the late Louise Wilson, the formidable Central Saint Martins tutor who was integral in the training of luminaries such as Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders and Mary Katrantzou. Here’s hoping that one of these finalists and winners goes on to as much success.

Aimee Dunn by Gareth A Hopkins.

GFW Menswear Award: Aimee Dunn – Nottingham Trent University
I know it’s menswear but who doesn’t love stealing their boyfriends clothes? Dunn’s collection of monochrome looks were superbly put together and with Thatcher on the front of a jumper you’re never going to avoid attention. Dunn also picked up the Menswear award at the end of the evening – well deserved.

Grace Weller by Jenny Robins.

Grace Weller by Julie J.Seo.

George Gold Award winner and GFW Womenswear Award: Grace Weller – Bath Spa University
The embroidery and workmanship that had gone into Grace’s beautiful collection of Erdem-esque floral and sheer dresses was astounding. Not only did Grace pick up the Womenswear Award but she walked away with the £10,000 Gold Award to kick start her label.

Rebecca Rimmer by Vicky Scott.

Rebecca Rimmer – UCLAN
Brightly coloured clothes painted onto bigger clothes. Sounds ridiculous, works really well on the catwalk, as Rebecca Rimmer proved. Her cartoonish collection was fun and original as well as having a high impact on the audience as it closed the show.

Holly Jayne Smith by Hye Jin Chung.

Holly Jayne Smith by Sine Skau.

Holly Jayne Smith – Birmingham City
Foot-high hats and a pop art colour palette ensured this collection caught our attention and made us rethink light blue as a staple. The models also carried co-ordinated bright sports back packs which I loved.

GFW International Winner: Shan Liao Huang by Gareth A Hopkins.

Lauren Lake – Kingston University
Coloured fur made its mark last season and Lauren Lake’s first model strode out in a huge over sized, pink fur-lined shearling coat, so it was always going to be a winner. The silver metallic skirts and block boots, pink PVC and top knots ticked all the boxes, just amazing.

Colleen Leitch – Edinburgh College of Art
80’s glamour is back in Colleen Leitch’s collection of exquisite looks brought together by scattered sequins and dark colours in draping fabrics clinched at the waist for maximum femininity.

Hannah Donkin by Jane Young.

GFW Creative Catwalk Award: Camilla Grimes – Manchester School of Art
Pink fur again, hopefully not real, (trend alert!) but this time alongside a more delicate and feminine ensemble that had hints of Jonathan Saunders about it (never a bad thing). Sheer embroidered shirts and a hooded bomber jacket were just two of the items I want in my wardrobe.

Fashion graduates of 2015, I can’t wait to see what you’ll have in store!

Written by Alexandra Haddow on Sunday June 15th, 2014 12:30 pm

Categories ,2014, ,Aimee Dunn, ,Bath Spa University, ,Birmingham City University, ,Camilla Grimes, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Christopher Kane, ,Colleen Leitch, ,Edinburgh College of Art, ,Gala Show, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Grace Weller, ,Graduate Fashion Week, ,Hannah Donkin, ,Holly Jayne Smith, ,Hye Jin Chung, ,Jane Young, ,Jenny Robins, ,Jonathan Saunders, ,Julie J Seo, ,Kingston University, ,Lauren Lake, ,Louise Wilson, ,Manchester School of Art, ,Mary Katrantzou, ,Nottingham Trent University, ,Rebecca Rimmer, ,review, ,Shan Liao Huang, ,Sine Skau, ,Truman Brewery, ,UCLan, ,Vicky Scott

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Desperate Journalist by Matilde Sazio

Desperate Journalist by Matilde Sazio

In amongst a cluster of kebab shops on Kingsland Road, just before it gives way to the disparate delights of Dalston Junction, sits Power Lunches. A modest frontage conceals a small upstairs cafe (cans of Red Stripe the house speciality), whilst down below in the basement is the venue area, which also doubles as a rehearsal space. In the couple of years that it’s been in existence, Power Lunches has put on an eclectic array of events, and the tiny basement usually finds itself packed to the rafters.

Desperate Journalist by Julie J Seo

Desperate Journalist by Julie J Seo

Desperate Journalist have only been going for a short while, but they’ve already racked up a sizeable amount of column inches in the independent music press, as well as a couple of radio spots to go with their two singles and an EP. Named after an old Cure song (inspired by Robert Smith taking particular umbrage at one review), they follow a similar post-punk path to the likes of PINS and, most notably, Savages. Whilst not as intense as Savages, Desperate Journalist do share that echoey Siouxsie & The Banshees inspired guitar sound, and singer Jo Bevan’s voice is not entirely dissimilar to the majestic tones of Siouxsie Sioux (interestingly, Bevan also moonlights as “Simone Le Bon” in all-female Duran Duran concept band Joanne Joanne – about as unlikely a pair of references as you could expect!).

Desperate Journalist by Helen Beeston

Desperate Journalist by Helen Beeston

The basement was already pretty warm from the two support bands before Desperate Journalist took to the tiny stage, the room in absolute darkness and only illuminated by the lights situated above Jo Bevan’s head. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd and some jokey requests to “play some Fleetwood Mac!”, to which bassist Simon Drowner gallantly responded with a snippet of The Chain (otherwise known as That BBC Grand Prix Theme). They powered through a tight set, covering old favourites such as Cristina, Mistakes and the new single Happening. With Caz Hellbent pounding away on drums and guitarist Rob Hardy chipping away at chords, Bevan was a captivating presence centre stage, one minute swooping low and the next staring transfixed into the distance.

The set closed with a rousing version of Organ before the band jumped off stage and headed to the bar, leaving their instruments to carry on in feedback. With a debut album pencilled in for later in the year and a spot on the upcoming Camden Crawl, it looks like Desperate Journalist can expect a lot more glowing reviews, unlike the one that inspired their name!

Written by Richard Pearmain on Monday June 9th, 2014 5:01 pm

Categories ,Camden Crawl, ,Caz Hellbent, ,Desperate Journalist, ,Duran Duran, ,fleetwood mac, ,Helen Beeston, ,Jo Bevan, ,Joanne Joanne, ,Julie J Seo, ,Matilde Sazio, ,PINS, ,Power Lunches, ,Rob Hardy, ,Robert Smith, ,Savages, ,Simon Drowner, ,Siouxsie & The Banshees, ,Siouxsie Sioux, ,the cure

Amelia’s Magazine | Graduate Fashion Show Gala Show 2014 Review

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Amelia’s Magazine | Desperate Journalist at Power Lunches: Live Review

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