Graduate Fashion Awards winners announced

Rimmel London joins L'Oreal Professional in sponsoring Graduate Fashion Week

agnes b. to collaborate with Central Saint Martins

Fashion Fringe 2011 announces semi-finalists

New Designers 2011 taking place this Summer

George at ASDA named as title sponsor of Graduate Fashion Week

Fresh Fashion Flash comes to Portobello Market

New fashion design concept launches online tomorrow

Own Label is a new concept in fashion design, aiming to give new designers a chance to showcase work and have garments manufactured and sold online. Own Label post specific briefs on the website, designers then submit their designs in line with the brief and the best are published on the site to be voted for by the online community. The designs with the largest number of votes at the end of the competition are manufactured and sold through the online store with the designer's name on the label. Own Label will officially launch tomorrow during Graduate Fashion Week. Graduate Fashion Week is a natural partner for Own Label. There is a wealth of creative talent graduating from UK fashion colleges each year, with opportunities for new designers demonstrate skills in a commercial setting, Own Label hopes to provide a new channel from which the top designers of the future can emerge. www.own-label.com

Exclusive Graduate Fashion Week range launches in River Island

An exclusive Graduate Fashion Week range launches in River Island this week. The store, title sponsor for the 6th year in succession, has employed over 90 graduates in the past 5 years from GFW, ensuring their designs hit the high street. This week River Island is launching a range of GFW products in selected stores nationwide, just in time for this year’s event which is taking place 6-10 June (see DIARYdates). In particular the range has several pieces designed by 2009 Award winners Myrto Stamou (UCA Rochester) and Charlotte Simpson (University of Northumbria). Myrto Stamou, winner of the prestigious River Island Gold Award, as well as the Womenswear Award, has recently completed an internship with Hannah Marshall and has been working closely with River Island to create these dresses, inspired by her graduation collection. The designs, pictured here, are strong and sleek and employ supple leather, mesh panelling and slinky jersey. Giles Deacon described her collection as ‘a cohesive range that could easily be sold tomorrow’. Prices start from £49.99.

Free Range exhibitions to include fashion

As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, Free Range, an Old Truman Brewery project supporting new graduate artists and designers, has announced a new fashion category with three days of graduate fashion shows. Until now Free Range has presented graduate exhibitions in the creative disciplines of Art, Photography, Design, Graphics and Interiors. Extending this support to graduate fashion designers, Free Range is dedicating an exclusive catwalk-space to graduate fashion shows, with cocktails supplied by Perrier. Universities to be featured at the show include Wincester School of Art, Middlesex University and Somerset College. www.free-range.org.uk. See DIARYdates for more details.

BFC and Harrods launch Graduate Competition

Today the British Fashion Council (BFC) and Harrods have launched the Harrods Graduate Competition. Winning the competition will entitle one student from a Colleges Council member college to win a year’s internship working alongside the Fashion Buying Team. This unique opportunity will give the individual the chance to gain the skills and knowledge in design, quality assurance, buying and retail sales, as part of their development following graduation. Three graduates will be chosen to undertake a one month training placement, learning different aspects of the Harrods business. During this time, they will be assessed and, in August 2010 one of the three will be selected to win a year’s paid internship with the Harrods Fashion Buying Team, working on design, development and the retail experience.