The tempo heats up. Nonchalant models in edgy hoodies and directional skirts appear in pairs, posing to the throbbing beat with kitsch accessories: water-flasks, boxing gloves, and tennis rackets in mock gold. The vibe is contagious. Teenagers, experienced fashionistas, teachers from London�s top Fashion colleges � all are utterly transfixed by the creations on the catwalk.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the show is over. Funky accessory designer Laura Lees fresh from her collection at London Fashion Week appears to announce this year�s FAD winner. She�s 18-year-old April Griffiths from B6 College in Hackney, AKA �Gold Runner� , the creator of edgy sports shorts and a running top seamed with gold which features a logo in heat-pressed gold of a man running. �I�m overwhelmed,� April tells FAD. �I really didn�t expect to win.�

There�s more to come. Judges Kate Hill (London College of Fashion), Mark Beverly (George at Asda) and Tessa Read (Arts Aim Higher) were so impressed by the standard of the designs of all the finalists that three extra prizes were awarded to Kolean Roberts (Skinners School in Hackney) for Customer Focus, Nicola Aitcheson (Hackney Community College) for Portfolio Development,and 16-year-old Mumtaz Subhan (Parliament Hills School in Camden) for Craftsmanship.

Tonight, all 16 finalists have enjoyed 15 minutes of catwalk fame. But the benefits of FAD are longer-lasting. Kolean Roberts explains: �FAD taught me the skills I need and am using now on my course at the London College of Fashion.� Last year�s FAD FF2 winner Annie Skipper, a fellow LCF student agrees: �FF2 taught me how to make more intuitive, imaginative designs, backed up by in-depth research.�

For all FAD FF2 finalists, winners or not, FAD is clearly just the first step towards a dazzling fashion future.