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BSU students earn multiple honours at Graduate Fashion Week 2026
Monday, 22 June, 2026Bath Spa University students have been recognised across a number of categories at Graduate Fashion Week 2026, with graduates receiving awards and commendations for their work in fashion design, tailoring and textiles.
Graduate Fashion Week, run by the Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF), is the world's largest showcase of BA fashion talent. Hosted this year by F&F at Truman Brewery in London, the event brings together students, universities and industry professionals to celebrate emerging fashion talent from across the UK.
Ahead of this year's event, BSU students secured 13 shortlist nominations across catwalk and portfolio awards. As the week progressed, several students were recognised by industry judging panels for their creativity, technical skill and innovation.
One of the University's standout successes came from Pippa Bowerman, who was named winner of the BSU Catwalk Award. Pippa was also awarded the F&F x Graduate Fashion Week Award, recognising her as one of the event's leading emerging talents.
BSU also celebrated success in the Tailoring Award, with Barnaby Walls named as the category winner. Alongside the award winners, several students received Highly Commended recognition across the portfolio awards.
Discussing his win and plans for the future, Barnaby said:
"To me, the award is proof of what hard work and dedication can give you, and I am feeling extremely blessed to have received it. GFW provided me with the opportunity to see other students' work throughout the fashion community. It was a chance to connect with different areas within the industry. The vision and creativity on show were particularly inspiring to me. It was an incredible event, exhausting but so enjoyable and valuable.
"My next step is to continue networking, working on my own portfolio and developing my collection. I hope this award can boost my chances of working in tailoring or pattern cutting, which is a big interest of mine."
Alice Hargreaves was highly commended in the BSU University Catwalk Award category, while Hansel Abakan-Phillips was recognised in the Culture & Heritage Award (Design). In the textiles categories, Sami Arslan received Highly Commended recognition in the Dame Zandra Rhodes Fashion Printed Textiles Award Supported by F&F, and Zoë Anastasia was Highly Commended in the Constructed Textiles Award.
Speaking about the success of BSU students at this year's Graduate Fashion Week, Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design, Emma Askew-Miller, said:
“We are delighted to see so many of our students recognised as award winners at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week. This achievement reflects their exceptional talent, commitment and creative vision, and it is always rewarding to see their work acknowledged at such a key event in the fashion calendar. Graduate Fashion Week plays a vital role in supporting and showcasing the next generation of designers.
It provides an important platform for emerging talent, while also offering prospective students - particularly during Schools Day - the opportunity to experience what studying fashion is really like. These moments reinforce the importance of nurturing emerging designers as they take their next steps into the industry.”
The results build on what was already a strong year for BSU at Graduate Fashion Week, with students shortlisted across a wide range of categories including sustainability, tailoring, illustration, textiles, culture and heritage, and catwalk presentations.
Graduate Fashion Week provides an important platform for students to showcase their work to industry professionals and potential employers. This year's results highlight the breadth of talent across the University's Fashion programmes and celebrate the achievements of a graduating cohort making its mark on the industry.