Cunard Announces Partnership With Graduate Fashion Foundation

Six graduates supported by the Foundation to showcase designs on board Queen Mary 2 during Transatlantic Fashion Week 2019.

Ahead of this year’s Transatlantic Fashion Week on board the iconic ocean liner Queen Mary 2 this summer (28 July – 4 August, 2019), luxury cruise line Cunard is delighted to announce Graduate Fashion Foundation as its newest partner.

Six talented graduates, who showcased their designs at Graduate Fashion Week 2018, have been selected to join the Transatlantic Fashion Week Crossing which this year is headlined by milliner to the royals, Stephen Jones OBE.

Graduate Fashion Foundation is a leading international charitable organisation and an essential part of the fashion industry, providing a springboard for new talent. Over the past 28 years, more than 100,000 newly graduated and undergraduate students have been supported and guided by the charity which bridges the gap between graduation and employment. The Foundation has been responsible for launching the careers of some of the most successful designers of our time including Christopher Bailey MBE, who was the winner of the first ever Gold Award and now a Lifetime Patron of the charity; Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Matthew Williamson and Julien MacDonald OBE to name a few.

In order to be selected for Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Week voyage, the students from GFW 2018 submitted their collections and the inspiration behind them to the Graduate Fashion Foundation and revered fashion historian and author Colin McDowell MBE, who returns to the Transatlantic Fashion Week for another year as a guest speaker. The judges based their decision on expertise, individuality and appeal and chose six budding designers to represent Graduate Fashion Foundation.

Guests will attend an exclusive runway show featuring collections from some of the world’s most famous fashion colleges graduates, including:

Aurélie Fontan (Edinburgh College of Art): Born in Paris, Aurélie created the “techno-craft” concept, where feminine, inspirational and eco-friendly luxury womenswear is produced from the latest technology and unconventional couture techniques. After obtaining six nominations at Graduate Fashion Week, including three main awards in Womenswear, Sustainability and Textiles, Aurélie won the ‘Ones to Watch’.

Enki Allan (Kingston University): Born and raised in Devon, UK, Enki completed her BA degree at in 2018 where she specialised in menswear. It was Enki’s strong focus and drive for sustainability, which lead her to produce her collection ‘Wistman’. Wistman was featured in Graduate Fashion Week’s ‘Best of’ catwalk show.

Jacaranda Brain (Nottingham Trent University): Jacaranda studied Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles graduating in 2018. She won the Visionary Knitwear Award at last year’s Graduate Fashion Week for her collection ‘Nudibranch’. In December she won Radical Designer of the Year 2018.

Louise Clark (Manchester School of Art): Louise is a British womenswear designer currently based in London. She has experience of working in luxury and high street fashion, and graduated in 2018 after studying a BA in Fashion. She was picked to show her collection at Graduate Fashion Week 2018, where she was chosen by a panel of industry experts as a finalist for the ’25 Best of Graduate Fashion Week’ show. She then went on to win the ‘Catwalk to Store’ award.

Maddy Stringer (Edinburgh College of Art): Born in Somerset, UK, Maddy is a recent womenswear design graduate. Her specialism lies in textile and material development, exploring tactility and three dimensional surfaces for fashion. At Graduate Fashion Week 2018 Maddy was selected as one of the ‘Top 25 Designers’. She was awarded runner up for the Catwalk Textiles award and was selected as a finalist for the David Band Textile award. She is now based in London, working at Stella McCartney HQ.

Marta Kazmierczak (Edinburgh College of Art): Born in Warsaw, Poland, Marta moved to Edinburgh in 2014 to study fashion design. She graduated in 2018 and showcased her AW 2018 collection at Graduate Fashion Week, where it was selected as one of the ‘Best 25 Collections’ and won the David Band Textiles Award. Marta is currently working at Aitor Throup’s multi-disciplinary design studio.

The graduates’ designs will be worn by models from leading agency, STORM who return to Transatlantic Fashion Week as a partner.

In addition to Stephen Jones OBE, other designers and fashion influencers to be featured during Transatlantic Fashion Week 2019 include shoe designer and entrepreneur Stuart Weitzman, Britain’s Next Top Model judge Hilary Alexander OBE, author of Shopping, Seduction and Mr Selfridge Lindy Woodhead and fashion consultant Gail Sackloff OBE. The unique crossing invites guests to enjoy seven days of fashion-focused events, including runway shows, talks, Q&A’s and exclusive unveilings.

“We are excited and privileged to welcome graduates from Graduate Fashion Foundation on this year’s Transatlantic Fashion Week,” said Lee Powell, VP Brand and Product, Cunard. “Only on Cunard do both loyal Cunarders and new guests have the opportunity to mingle with some of fashion’s most iconic designers and emerging talent. It is so important to encourage the next generation and what a fabulous environment to launch what is sure to be some very bright futures in the world of fashion.”

Martyn Roberts, Managing Director at Graduate Fashion Foundation added: “Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Week on board Queen Mary 2 is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the world of fashion in an iconic and timeless venue. We are incredibly excited that some of the top graduates that we support through the Graduate Fashion Foundation will have the opportunity to show their work alongside some hugely respected and talented names in fashion, and to do so whilst sailing across the Atlantic is really special. ”

Now in its fourth year, Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Week continues to go from strength-to-strength providing guests with an opportunity to get up close to established designers that have included Julien Macdonald OBE and Dame Zandra Rhodes DBE, in addition to up-and-coming talent from The Royal College of Art, Parsons College of Art and the University of Westminster.

SOURCE: Cunard