Backstage at Graduate Fashion Week with the students behind every catwalk look

Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) is the world's largest showcase of BA creative fashion graduate talent, bringing together shortlisted students, including those from Southampton Solent University, for a week of catwalk shows, judging and industry networking.

While Solent's fashion students showed their collections at Graduate Fashion Week, a different team of students was working backstage. Solent's BA (Hons) Make-Up and Hair Design students delivered every backstage look for the week's catwalk shows.

"This is our sixth year working at Fashion Week, and every year has been a blast," says Donna Bevan, Course Leader for Make-Up and Hair Design. "We've got students from level four right through to level seven working alongside the L'Oréal Professional team, doing all the make-up for the backstage looks before they head down the catwalk. They get to work on professional models at a really fast pace and really see what the industry is like first-hand."

"We're talking first thing in the morning, in here at eight, leaving at half past eight at night," Donna says. "It's a really busy week, but there's nothing better for industry experience than that."

Lecturer Make Up and Hair Design, Charlotte Logue says this year marks the first time the course has brought level four students to GFW alongside its second, third and master's cohorts.

"It's about as close as it gets to industry before you're actually in it. We're working with real brands, real partners, real designers. It's an incredible opportunity to learn the technique, learn the pressure, and ultimately see if fashion is for you."

From L'Oréal Professional's side, Rubie Costin, who led the portfolio backstage hair team at Graduate Fashion Week, says the partnership has been just as rewarding for the brand as for the students.

"The students at Solent have been absolutely incredible to work with over the last few days. It really makes such a difference when the hair and make-up work in synergy together, not only to create beautiful looks but altogether artistry. So, it's an absolute dream, and the future is looking very bright."

For the students applying the make-up, the week has meant adapting fast. Level four student Emily Williams, who designed some of the looks herself, says the experience of working alongside professionals has been invaluable:

"Getting industry experience has been really important for us. I was really looking forward to the gala show at the end of Graduate Fashion Week, getting to actually talk to some of the designers whose looks we've been part of."

 

Level five student Lucy Parks took on a team leader role for the week, briefing her group on looks and splitting responsibilities before doors opened each day.

"It gives us real world experience, working on lots of different clients with different skin tones, which is really handy," she says. "One of my looks is being used on one of the shows, so I'm really looking forward to seeing that under the lights."

Experiences like this sit at the heart of Solent's Career Ready Revolution, the University's wider commitment to redesigning every course around real-world experience, industry connections and employability.

For Make-Up and Hair Design students, that means working backstage environment alongside professional teams and brands, building hands-on skills and creating a network industry contacts. Find out more about Solent's Make-Up and Hair Design courses here.