Monday 20th September 2010
Written by Grace Wales-Bonner, 2008 F.A.D Award Winner

The future of British fashion looked promising last week, when 24 talented young designers showcased their creations on the catwalk at the 2010 F.A.D Junior Awards.

2010 F.A.D Winner David Short takes to the catwalk

Held at the prestigious Freemason’s Hall this year’s show celebrated the hard work and creativity of teenagers from London and Greater Manchester. A stunned David Short, 17, from Lewisham College was named overall winner, making him the first boy in six years of the project to take the award.

A crowded house of press and fashion industry, including iconic designer Zandra Rhodes, attended the award ceremony at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. Alongside supportive teachers, friends and family, the audience gathered to see the competitors’ exploration of ‘New Luxury’. Drawing inspiration from the V&A’s new Medieval and Renaissance galleries, the designs were of an exceptionally high standard.

Prize giver, volunteer and member of the F.A.D jury, Susan Aubrey-Cound (Director of Multi Channel Development at Marks & Spencer) touched on the enormity of the task of selecting one winner. She relayed how impressed the panel had been with "the fearlessness, imagination and maturity" of the young people's approach.

David Short's winning design; Award for Creative Pattern Cutting, Andre Augusto

Selected from 130 other applicants, David impressed the judges with his chic emerald green dress. His sophisticated draping exuded regal elegance while also being both modern and wearable. David’s garment won him a placement with London based designers Religion. The winner who describes himself as "a bit obsessive when it comes to fashion" hopes to eventually study Womenswear Design at University.

Other winners on the night included 18 year-old Andre Augusto from Hampstead School (Camden). Andre was presented with the Creative Pattern Cutting Award for his dramatic, sculptural black and navy dress. His original approach to illustration and his attempt to make the female wearer feel "dominant and powerful" were particularly successful.

Award for Commercial Innovation, Karmen-Marie Parker; Award for Research, Sarah Kilkenny

A very delighted Karmen-Marie Parker who received the Award for Commercial Innovation, was another deserving winner. The 17 year-old described her on-trend acid wash denim dungarees as "fashionable armour". Parker’s research demonstrated her thoughtful approach to design. She stressed the importance of a garment being ‘sustainable’, increasing relevant as last week saw the first Sustainable Fashion Show to be hosted at London Fashion Week. Unsurprisingly, both runners up were offered work placements by industry guests after the show.

18 year-old Sarah Kilkenny from Ashton 6th Form College was the third runner-up of the evening, presented with the Research Award for her sophisticated sketchbook work and illustrations. The culmination of her in-depth research inspired her interesting plaited neck mini dress, which turned heads on the catwalk.

The finalists all deserve a mention for their hard work, but in particular Naomi Dorton (Lewisham College), Sinead Cloonan (City & Islington College) and Adam Preece (Tameside College) whose garments were well recieved by the front row, which included representatives from John Lewis, River Island and M&S.

Sarah Kilkenny, Ashton 6th Form College;Adam Preece, Tameside College;Naomi Dorton, Lewisham College

Sinead Cloonan, City & Islington College;Illustration by Sinead Cloonan; Charlie Ibouille, Hackney Community College

THEIR JOURNEY

The Junior Award finalists had been chosen from over one hundred and thirty 16-19 year olds who originally took part in workshops during 2010. In the second stage of the competition, the larger group was whittled down to 24 of the most talented individuals.

The finalists then spent five days in intensive workshops at the University of East London creating their final designs for the catwalk, supported by a team of experienced tutors, technicians and student mentors.

As a previous participant of the F.A.D project I can appreciate how much of a challenge this was to students with no experience of fashion design. This is why it was so encouraging to see the innovation, sophistication and daring of these young, creative people.

Andre Augusto with his model on the Vauxhall Fashion Scout catwalk

Now in it’s sixth year, The F.A.D Junior Awards continues to provide a platform for young students to have their work realized on the catwalk. The interest and support of a pool of high profile contacts involved in the project seems to increase annually, as does the media’s response to the Awards and finalists.

It is also extremely positive to see how heavily the project is supported by the industry, in particular Vauxhall Fashion Scout, who pride themselves on presenting emerging innovative talent. Allowing young designers to debut their work alongside more established brands at fashion week explains why London continues to be the capital of innovative fashion.

The F.A.D charity offers a vital link between education and the fashion industry at a really crucial stage in a student’s life. It provides an important service to young, talented people by encouraging them to embrace industry and harness their focus. Prash Muraleetharan, former F.A.D finalist who gave an inspiring speech at the awards, described his time on the project as "an intense learning curve".

The show was co-presented by Joanne Matthews, F.A.D & 2009 Finalist Prash Muraleetharan; Wire collar party dress by Yashodah Rodgers, The Charter School

Certainly from my own experience, the course opened my eyes to the realms of opportunity within the fashion industry. Without projects such as F.A.D and their nurturing support and influence, this invaluable insight might have otherwise remained lost to me and to so many more young people. On a personal level, the F.A.D Junior Awards has given me the confidence to consider a career in the fashion industry and the insight into how to go about achieving my goals.

Speaking to Zandra Rhodes at the award ceremony, her learned advice was to "surround yourself with creative young people" - a premise which F.A.D also facilitates. A final message from Zandra, which I would like to pass on to all the young finalists involved in the Junior Awards this year, was to "never give up…even if people laugh at you!".

Photography Credits:
Tony Wellington | www.tonywellington.co.uk
Janno Datinguinoo & Milan Kocman | www.montagephotographs.co.uk