Emerging talent shines at Graduate Fashion Week 2026

Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) celebrated its 35th anniversary at the Truman Brewery in London's Brick Lane, bringing together fashion students, universities and industry professionals from across the UK.

Southampton Solent University attended with 13 students shortlisted across 17 nominations spanning moving image, fashion photography, styling, marketing and inclusive design.

Solent's stand brought together a wide range of student work, including fashion films, photography, publications, marketing campaigns and design concepts.

Throughout the week, students spoke with recruiters, industry professionals and fellow creatives about the projects they had developed during their final year.

Across the venue, universities presented their work through exhibition stands, catwalk shows and screenings, while students attended portfolio reviews, career talks and networking sessions with employers and industry professionals.

For graduating fashion design student Belle Fletcher, who presented her final collection on the Liberty Fabrics catwalk, the event provided an opportunity to share her work with a wider audience after a year of studio-based development.

"This experience is extremely valuable to me, because you don't get a lot of opportunities when you do something like I do in design, where so much of it is locked away in a studio," she says.

"But now suddenly you're here in front of all of these people, presenting your work to the world. It's very vulnerable, but it's necessary, because networking is vital in what we do."

Alongside students exhibiting their work, Solent's Makeup and Hair Design students spent the week working backstage on catwalk shows, helping to create runway looks for designers presenting at the event.

Makeup and Hair Design lecturer, Charlotte Logue, said: "This is about as close as it gets to working in the industry before you're actually in the real world. It's an incredible opportunity to learn the pace, technique and pressure of fashion."

Visitors were also able to attend screenings of nominated moving image projects in a dedicated cinema space, where work by Solent students Lily Herbert and Kimi Nimaei was shown alongside projects from universities across the UK.

"I'm really happy people have taken the time to look at my work. You get to meet other creatives and share ideas with people from across the industry,” Kimi said.

Elsewhere, a careers area gave students the opportunity to meet professionals working across fashion, media, PR and marketing, while employers advertised current opportunities through a dedicated jobs board.

As Graduate Fashion Week 2026 comes to a close, students are left with industry contacts, professional feedback and first-hand experience presenting their work on one of fashion education's biggest stages.

Find out more about Solent's fashion courses here.