Graduate Fashion Week 2009

London’s annual Graduate Fashion Week, a showcase of the best BA graduate fashion design talent in the UK, is the place to look for emerging British-trained talent. The careers of Stella McCartney, Julien Macdonald, Hussein Chalayan and Christopher Bailey were launched on its catwalks; as an exhibition of creative work, the event is a window into the minds that will no doubt make and shape the industry in seasons and years to come. The following collections, shown during this year’s fashion week earlier this month, stood out with innovation and sophistication. Each, of course, had that certain something that makes fashion editors everywhere sit up a little straighter.

By Allison Weldon