The British Fashion Council, Topshop and Topman are delighted to announce two winners of the Graduate Design Programme, the latest initiative supporting graduate talent, pioneered as a joint venture in partnership with the BFC Colleges Council.
The winners of the inaugural awards are Sally Hewett from Northumbria University for Topshop and Rebecca Howarth from Manchester School of Art for Topman, who will have the opportunity to work for 12 months in a paid internship at the companies. Students were invited to submit a mood board that demonstrates strong commercial awareness and understanding of the Topshop or Topman customer, from which applicants were asked to take inspiration to design a 15 piece capsule collection that fully encapsulates their theme, showing key silhouettes, fabrics and colour choices.
A selection committee invited applicants to a judging meeting to talk through their design project. The calibre of work was extremely high and a lengthy decision process was involved before the final decision on the winner was reached.
Mary Homer, Managing Director of Topshop, said “The Graduate Design Programme in partnership with the British Fashion Council is a natural extension of our work with design talent in the UK; it allows us to support emerging and graduate designers. The winner will have the opportunity to develop as a designer and gain valuable first-hand experience of a business through their time at Topshop.”
Gordon Richardson, Design Director of Topman, adds “Topman has been supporting emerging talent for over 10 years and is excited to be helping a new generation of talented designers start their careers through this initiative.”
