Debenhams is about to return as headline sponsor of Graduate Vogue Week (GFW) for the sixth time this summer time.
The subsequent version will as soon as once more be held at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in East London, happening from 13-16 June 2025.
As a part of the sponsorship, Debenhams will once more host its Catwalk to Assortment Award, providing aspiring designers the possibility to win a 12-month contract with the retailer and develop a full assortment.
Final 12 months’s winner, Eleanor McMahon, from the Manchester Vogue Institute, together with two different “standout” designers, secured contracts and can see their collections launch this summer time.
This time round, 20 shortlisted designers will participate within the Debenhams Catwalk Present, which can be hosted on the opening night time of Graduate Vogue Week (13 June).
The catwalk present can be curated by the Debenhams staff, showcasing the easiest business collections produced by graduate designers at British universities which might be members of the Graduate Vogue Basis.
The award harks again to the outdated ‘Designers at Debenhams’ programme, first launched in 1993, which fostered abilities together with Julian MacDonald, Matthew Williamson and Henry Holland.
GFW is hosted by the Graduate Vogue Basis, a charitable basis devoted to giving younger folks the absolute best begin within the trend business.
Over the previous 33 years, greater than 100,000 college students have been supported by the charity, which has been liable for launching the likes of Stella McCartney and Giles Deacon, amongst many others.
Debenhams headline sponsorship builds on its lengthy standing partnership with the Graduate Vogue Basis, which it has labored with since 2016 supporting almost 30,000 aspiring trend creatives.
Dan Finley, CEO at Debenhams Group stated: “The style business is notoriously aggressive and tough to interrupt into, which is why I’m proud to as soon as once more be supporting Graduate Vogue Week. All through its historical past, Debenhams has at all times been recognized for working with the easiest British designers, and our partnership displays our dedication to fostering the following technology of expertise in trend and design.
“Proper now, a number of the most enjoyable trend is coming from rising expertise, pushing boundaries in methods we haven’t seen earlier than – I can’t wait to see what they do subsequent.”
Debenhams was purchased out of liquidation for £55 million in January 2021 by Boohoo Group, in a deal which included the Debenhams model, web site and personal model merchandise throughout trend and sweetness, however not its shops. Because of this, the remaining 118 Debenhams shops shut for good because it grew to become an online-only operation.
Earlier this month, Boohoo Group rebranded to Debenhams Group because it hailed the turnaround of the division retailer model which it stated is now a “majority contributor to group profitability”.
Nicola Hitchens, Charity and Occasion Director at Graduate Vogue Basis, stated: “We’re thrilled to see the unbelievable assist from Debenhams.com proceed to develop to the brand new Debenhams Group. Our very important work in supporting rising expertise throughout the style business couldn’t proceed with out the assist of Debenhams this 12 months.
“We’re excited to see the headline partnership come to fruition throughout a plethora of participating occasions and activations alongside unbelievable alternatives provided to our member universities graduates as they enter the business.”
