Graduate Fashion Foundation are excited to announce the launch of a new unique range of clothing on sale this London Fashion Week, in collaboration with Crisis; the charity behind ending homelessness, and Love Not Landfill.
The range of 28 outfits were hand crafted by students at Graduate Fashion Foundation member universities across the UK as part of the Crisis x Love Not Landfill Upcycling Design competition, challenging emerging designers to give new life and increase value to secondhand clothing by upcycling into new innovative outfits. The designers were asked to use only secondhand clothing with no virgin fabrics to create their looks and to ensure their designs fit three dress sizes by using inventive modular design or fastening types, ensuring there is a wider offering for every Crisis store customer.
Industry judges, Orsola DeCastro Co-Founder of Fashion Revolution, Patrick McDowell Designer and Sustainability expert, both GFF Ambassadors joined Georgina Evans Head of Retail at Crisis and Lizzy Woods Campaign Executive from Love Not Landfill to review the design entries and select 15 looks to go on to appear in the campaign and professional photoshoot.
Orsola De Castro said,” I love working with students and supporting emerging talent. This is really very important for me, and on top of it all, upcyclists. “The future is upcycling. The future of fashion is in the past.”
Patrick McDowell said, “It’s amazing to support the next generation of fashion talent and I’m so inspired by what I’ve seen.”
On the collaboration between Graduate Fashion Foundation, Crisis and Love Not Landfill, Georgina Evans, said, “this has been an extremely rewarding project to work on with Graduate Fashion Foundation, along with support from Love Not Landfill . It’s a privilege to showcase the designers of the future, with regards to sustainability, across our shop windows at Crisis UK.”
Lizzy Woods said, “Love Not Landfill is really happy to back this competition and we’ve been so impressed by the amazing young design talent that’s got involved. Globally more than £12 billion worth of clothing gets thrown into landfill every year, so this kind of joyous, creative and inclusive use of what might otherwise get thrown away shows that there’s a better way of loving fashion while still being sustainable.”
The bespoke range of items are on sale Friday 17th February from the Crisis store, Brick Lane, Shoreditch, London with key items being retailed within the window displays of the Finsbury Park and Camden Crisis stores. The outfits will then be released online at ShopfromCrisis.org.uk on Friday 10th March.
Graduate Fashion Foundation is in its 32nd year and continues to bring the latest innovative and exciting emerging talent to the world’s attention, showcasing the fashion innovators of tomorrow. Graduate Fashion Week takes place 12th -15th June 2023 at the Truman Brewery London.