Graduate Fashion Foundation is honoured to announce it will be partnering with Tu for the fourth year running. Following the success of recent years, the 2019 partnership will see two talented graduates receive a year-long scholarship within the Tu design team in Coventry as well as earning a mentorship with acclaimed British designers Tamara and Natasha Surguladze from label Tata Naka, and returning mentors Rob Jones and Catherine Teatum from Teatum Jones.
Rob Jones of Teatum Jones, Designer and 2019 Mentor, said: “We are extremely excited to be taking part in another year of the Tu Scholarship at Graduate Fashion Week. From seeing the candidate, we selected during last year’s judging day, to mentoring them through the commercial stages, to this year’s launch instore, the whole program has been such a rewarding collaboration. It is such a great opportunity for us to take part and share our knowledge and experiences to advise and support young talent at such a pivotal point of their career.”
Through this year’s renewed partnership, Tu will support Graduate Fashion Foundations’ emerging talent by offering the winning graduates a paid 12-month placement with the Tu design department, which will culminate in the launch of their own collection in 2020. The winners will be guided by the in-house teams, gaining invaluable insight into the fashion industry from buying through to design.
For the first time, the scholarship will not be specified to a particular category to ensure talent remains the focus. Each of the winners will be mentored throughout their scholarship by the mentors, offering them unparalleled support and guidance, plus for 2019 both winners will visit the Tu India Sourcing Office on a one month working trip. This follows the success of the 2018 mentorship winners, Molly Hopwood and Jennifer Healy who under the guidance of mentors Oliver Spencer and Teatum Jones, have created their own collections that will be showcased at Tu’s stand at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week and launch in Summer 2019.
Tamara Surguladze of Tata Naka, Designer and 2019 Mentor, said: “We were happy to be asked to mentor this year’s Tu scholarship. It’s an extremelyexciting opportunity for the graduates where they not only get a years internship with Tu but also get mentoring and guidance to create their own collection. It’s a great way to support upcoming talent in UK and we are proud to be part of it.”
