Solent boosts Talent of Tomorrow
Ahead of the highly anticipated 2024 Graduate Fashion Week (GFW), 15 students across four courses at Solent University, Southampton have been selected to showcase their skills in the Talent of Tomorrow campaign.
Final-year undergraduates on the cusp of graduation studying Fashion Photography, Makeup and Hair Design, Fashion and Beauty Media and Fashion Design have been selected to take part in Graduate Fashion Foundation’s aspirational Talent of Tomorrow campaign spotlighting emerging talent in the industry.
Associate Director at Graduate Fashion Foundation, Megan Doyle, says:
“The Talent of Tomorrow photoshoot is a fantastic opportunity for the Graduate Fashion Foundation to champion emerging creatives not just by shooting innovative designs, but by sharing the experience with the next generation of stylists, photographers, creative directors and content creators. We’re thrilled to be supported by Solent’s incredible makeup artists and to highlight some designers from the Class of 2024.”
Solent is one of 32 universities to take part in the Talent of Tomorrow campaign, with students delivering bold fashion designs, makeup looks and high-quality photography at a large-scale shoot in East London.
To promote Graduation Fashion Week, a collection of inspiring content has been captured by creative students from universities across the UK, with several curated by Solent’s talented cohort. The campaign puts students front and centre ahead of GFW, which is now in its thirty-third year and takes place 10 to 13 June.
Solent’s Course Leader Fashion Styling, Creative Direction and Fashion Photography, Emma Calder, who is an Academic Trustee at the Graduate Fashion Foundation and guided students during the campaign process, says:
“The Talent of Tomorrow graduate photoshoot is such an important and unique opportunity for graduating students to collaborate and create stunning images, which will be used to showcase their amazing skills in the run up to Graduate Fashion Week.
“We are so proud that 15 of our highly skilled students from across our fashion courses have been selected to be part of this exciting event. Our students work incredibly hard, and it is wonderful to see their passion and professionalism being celebrated in this way.”
Bridging the gap between education and employment, Graduate Fashion Week is an internationally-recognised platform for graduating students in fashion and design, while the Talent of Tomorrow campaign provides a unique opportunity for students to boost their portfolios and cultivate connections in the creative industries across fashion, photography, beauty and design.
Ruby Harvey, a third-year Makeup and Hair Design student, says: “Being involved in the Graduate Fashion Week campaign has given me a chance to start believing in my own skills and enabled me to network and develop myself as a professional.
“It's an amazing opportunity to collaborate with other passionate creatives and see visions come to life whilst building on real industry experience. My lecturers at Solent have helped me elevate my practical skillset and the way I see myself as a professional makeup and hair artist more than I could have imagined when I started university.”
During Graduate Fashion Week itself, Solent’s Makeup and Hair Design students, and their collective of exceptional artists known as GUNK Pro, will be creating looks for the runway models, sponsored for the first time by Huda Beauty.
