Through FAD’s unique Fashion Futures programme, these passionate, innovative, and conscious young creatives got the opportunity to create and display their own garment on the catwalk. Inspired by personal muses, and the influence of global cultures on the history of British design, they are an inspiration for the future of fashion.

Opening looks by (l-r) Ruth Perry, Annabelle Moore, Sonia Lutaj, Stephanie Daley

As the evening began, an air of excitement and joy filled the hall. These young adults were nervous, excited and proud that they were going to display the creations they worked so hard on.

“I’m very nervous, but excited as well. I’m definitively proud of myself. I didn’t think I’d ever be doing this.” (Ruth Perry, Finalist)

Looks by (l-r) Ade Joseph, Nafisah Miah, Faika-Rudaba Chowdhury

The jury panel was equally eager to see the finalist’s creations. “I saw the designs as they were being made and witnessed the journey as to how they got there, and we can’t begin to imagine the amount of work and passion they put into it. It’s going to be fantastic.” (Mahji Quadir, Natwest, Juror)

And fantastic it was.

Looks by (l-r) Caoinhe Lempriere, Jordanah Mbazi, Lucy Pye

There was so much excitement, love, and pride in the catwalk room that it was bouncing off the walls, and it was impossible not get animated with the rest of the crowd. Ebullient presenter Annaliese Dayes set the tone with an enthusiastic introduction.

As the lights dimmed, and the first model walked out, the room fell silent and became captivated by the art of these twenty young designers.

Looks by (l-r) Ellie Houghton, Monica Hoilett, Emmanuella Yiadom-Boakye

Every garment was unique, creative, and completely immersive.  We saw a wide array of colour, textiles and fabrication, from futuristic PVC to leather appliqué and spraypainted neoprene.  Silhouettes ranged from an oversized unisex coat with detachable sleeves to a structured dress echoing a pagoda’s tiers and a sporty cropped jacket and trouser. Emmanuella described the concept behind her bright, boxy oversized jacket and print dress:  “My garment explores the unapologetic attitude Africans should have towards oppressive powers – like Ghanaian female warrior, Yaa Assantewaa”

The diverse models wore the young creatives’ designs with confidence and sass, accentuating  FAD’s message of inclusion and diversity. The beautiful Madeline Stuart, who has Down syndrome, modelled Caoimhe Lempriere’s pretty yet powerful studded dress, while supermodel and campaigner Eunice Olumide closed the show in Lily Zou’s iridescent, sculptural, dragon-inspired piece.

Diversity and inclusivity was also something the young designers were passionate about: “Fashion needs to be more diverse, and it needs to be more open to outrageous ideas. Fashion needs to make people more open.” (Faika Chowdhury, Finalist)

Looks by (l-r) Edie Flanagan, Asra Amin, Blythe Brunt, Eliza Spencer

“I’m really passionate about segregation between gender. The idea that male is this silhouette, and female is this silhouette, and when you are shopping you go on one or the other. You can’t just shop one style of clothes. It’s why I wanted to create something for everyone” (Rosie Higgins, Finalist)

This passion was noted by their fashion mentors: “Fashion is changing, the world is changing and becoming more diverse; the young generation has a lot to say.” (Vanessa Spence, Design director at Asos)

“I think it’s incredible that young people are being heard, and that they are from different ethnicities, different religious backgrounds, cultural backgrounds.” (Jada Sezer, Model, Influencer and Mental Health Advocate, Juror)

Looks by (l-r) Abby Foley, Rosie Higgins, Lily Zou

After a joyful finale, which saw the 20 young designers take to the stage, the winners were announced by representatives of the jury panel, including Jane Shepherdson CBE, Joel Boyd (designer, stylist and Fashion Futures graduate, Vanessa Spence (Design Director, Asos) and Rachel Blackamore of Natwest.  Caoimhe Lempriere was awarded for Research and Development, while Blythe Brunt took the Award for Technical Innovation.  Overall Joint Winners were Emmanuella Yiadom-Boakye and Monica Hoilett.

Award for Research and Development (left), Caoimhe Lempriere, Award for Technical Innovation (right), Blythe Brunt

“There has been so many ups and downs through the project that I am just glad I got here.  I am overwhelmed am so grateful for having had this opportunity. FAD Fashion Futures has taught me that you can be as creative as you want and find a way to bring that wild idea to life, no matter how impossible it may seem.” (Monica Hoilett, winner)

“I feel overwhelmed and excited, I didn’t expect it all!  Even when I was chosen as a finalist of the FAD Fashion Futures I was amazed.” (Emmanuella Yiadom-Boakye, winner)

Alongside Asos and George, Fashion Futures was sponsored by Natwest, and Rachel Blackamore, Regional Managing Director, stated that: “FAD is making such a difference to people who wouldn’t always or normally get the opportunity get access to the fashion world. To see so many different people of colour and abilities is fantastic, and it stood out for me. It’s part of the reason we support FAD.”

Congratulations to all brilliant young designers. Your work is inspiring, and the show was fantastic, and the world can’t wait to see more of you.

Watch the full show here

Words: Estelle Lesault

Photos: Tony Wellington

With an educational background in science, Faika is still on the fence on whether she’s going to go on to pursue fashion or psychology, but feels she’s gained a lot more confidence since starting with FAD, both in terms of technical ability and personal confidence. ‘People interested in the fashion field that are my age should consider coming here,’ she says. ‘You really do learn a lot and even I didn’t think it would be this intense, or that I would learn so much.’

While she might still be thinking about whether to take the leap to a career in fashion, she knows what challenges to expect, and what she’d want to change. ‘Wearing my face veil I’ve been rejected by a lot of part-time jobs. Even in retail shops they don’t want to let me wear it. I’d love to see a reinterpretation of the face veil which people would be more open towards.

‘I think the fashion industry is extremely competitive, and since I want to go into modest fashion it’s harder to shine,’ she continues. ‘Not only is your market limited but there are already so many brands around, which people tend to stray towards. It’s hard to build a company in that field but I’m sure with hard work that I can get there.’

‘I’ve learnt so much over this last week,’ she says. ‘I’ve realised that I’ve been understanding more. Especially when I compare the beginning of the process to now, the volunteers will say something to me and I’ll just understand what they’re doing.’

With a particular interest in costume design, Rosie is keen to break down the barriers of conformity, particularly around gender. ‘Gender is something I’m passionate about, and this idea of having to conform to the shape of that gender. I wear a lot of menswear and it irritates me that if you’re female you’re shopping for this size and if you’re male you’re shopping for that size,’ she explains. ‘On a website you have to shop either menswear or womenswear. You can’t just stop clothes. I’d love to see fashion create more clothing which is less tailored for one or the other.’

‘The support I’ve had from FAD has been amazing,’ Ade says, talking about his experience so far. ‘I came from computer science, but all of the help, advice, tips, motivation and encouragement has been priceless. There’s no way I can put a value on it and even being a finalist now, I never thought I would get this far.

Currently designing a garment complete with floral detailing, his creative vision came to him as somewhat of an accident, while he was working on some early illustrations. ‘I’m not the greatest hand drawer or head drawer so instead of drawing a hand or head I drew flowers.’ As a result, various accessories are in the works to bring that vision to life.

Ade’s fresh approach to the fashion industry also means he’s been able to analyse its flaws and, as someone passionate about sustainability, meaningful collaborations and the destigmatisation of mental health, has big plans to make a change. ‘I have so many ideas planned, but I definitely want to see more people interacting with the environment or other people,’ he explains. ‘A lot of collaborations aren’t meaningful and are just there to sell, and I’d love to push topics that are important to me, like sustainability and mental health.

‘I want to be able to bridge the barrier between fashion and this mental health stigma, because expressing yourself through fashion is a way of being free and happy. I want to merge those two together, bring more light to the problems people face, and use fashion as a means to escape that and express themselves freely.’

Made up of over 20 different pieces the design itself is complex and, as a result, Monica feels she’s come a long way during her time with FAD. ‘Everyone at FAD is new and not everyone knows what to do,’ Monica explains. ‘We’re all in the same boat as each other learning new stuff and that was really encouraging because it shows that you can come from nothing and end up somewhere. A lot of us hadn’t even touched a sewing machine before and they’ve made something so amazing you’d never be able to tell.’

She also feels her time with the FAD volunteers and their different perspectives has also helped. ‘It’s been great meeting a lot of other people from different sectors of the fashion industry,’ she continues. ‘There were pattern-cutters, designers and they all give a different perspective.’ 

While Monica is still unsure whether to go into fashion and is leaning more towards becoming a fine artist, she’s learnt a lot about the fashion industry as a whole. ‘Fashion can be quite shallow but it’s about what you bring to it as an individual,’ she says. ‘We have to put more meaning into our artwork and even if something just looks nice there has to be more of a meaning behind it if it’s going to sell. 

‘I would love to have a platform where I could speak my mind about the fashion industry. I’d make people more conscious of their decisions and make them think a bit more. I’m all about togetherness and questioning why you’re doing something or thinking in a certain way. I’d love to speak about that.’ 

With future hopes to study fashion at Central Saint Martins before pursuing a career in womenswear design, she has particularly enjoyed that FAD has shown her the overall process of creating a garment from start to finish. ‘From this experience I’ve learnt a lot of different things that I’m going to need in my future,’ she explains. ‘In particular I learnt how to be inspired by simple things and recreate them into different objects, as well as how to make patterns and sew.

‘At FAD everything has been well-organised. I had a really great time and learnt a lot of new, helpful things.’

Having also taken inspiration from architecture she saw on a research trip to the V&A, the piece is an exciting fusion of the two. ‘I’ve learnt so much here,’ she continues. ‘Before I started with FAD, patterns and complex sewing were so alien to me but now I can look at a pattern, understand it, and know how to make my own. My construction’s so much better!

‘I’ve also learnt about all of the different layers of the fashion industry. It’s so much more complex than I thought before and when you look to go into it, there are so many areas you can specialise in.’

With plans to do exactly that, she wants to start with a fashion design degree at university before working within the industry itself. ‘My confidence has improved loads, and looking at everyone else’s work is really inspiring,’ Blythe continues. ‘Everyone is also really accepting of ideas.

‘FAD has been absolutely fantastic,’ she concludes. ‘In terms of helping me improve, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.’

The idea itself is inspired by her trip to the V&A or more specifically, a section dedicated to oriental influence in British culture in the 1700s. ‘They set up a bedroom as if it was a stately home and the bedroom I looked at had a bed with these different triangles on the headboard,’ she continues. ‘That’s where I took the inspiration.’

With an interest in working in design in future, Annabelle has enjoyed her time with FAD and has realised that there are a lot more jobs she can pursue, aside from being a designer. ‘What I’m taught at FAD is really useful. Here we’re taught pattern-cutting from the beginning. We’re shown the whole process and the different ways to do it. I’ve also leant to just ask if I don’t understand something. I used to not do that but now I can just ask because everyone is so willing to help.’

She’s also picked up a lot about the fashion industry itself, both in terms of what she loves about it and what she wants to change. ‘I feel there are lots of stereotypes in fashion, especially surrounding the people that work in fashion,’ she explains. ‘There’s so much out there, such as pattern-cutting or other related jobs, and it’s sad that people don’t realise that people do that. I want people to know that it’s not one type of person that does fashion.’

With a place already secured on the Fashion Design course at De Montfort University, she’s loved honing the skills she already had in fashion with FAD. ‘I had some experience before but I’ve learnt a lot more around pattern-cutting and different ways to sew.

‘I feel a bit more out there too. I wasn’t as creative. I was sticking to normal things whereas now I feel I can be more outrageous and creative… FAD is a really good platform that everyone should apply to and try and get on. It’s been really helpful.’

In future, Abby is keen to get stuck into the fashion industry and doesn’t want to just set up her own label, but do it in a way that’s locally and ethically sourced. ‘I’d definitely want to have it all made here and you would know who is making what,’ she says. ‘You’ve got to try and make it better, haven’t you? You’ve got to do the right thing.’