Graduate Fashion Week 2025: Debenhams Group named as headline partner

The Graduate Fashion Foundation has named Debenhams Group as the headline partner for Graduate Fashion Week 2025, the premier showcase of BA graduate fashion talent.  It will take place from Friday, 13 June to Monday, 16 June at The Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, London.

Now in its 34th year, the event will feature a packed schedule including 15 runway shows hosted in the Debenhams 500-seat catwalk hall, along with more than 20 live industry talks in the 150-seat GFW Live! Talk space.

As headline partner, Debenhams will take centre stage on opening night with a dedicated commercial runway show. This show will spotlight 20 graduate collections handpicked by the Debenhams Group team for their standout appeal and commercial potential.

One designer will be selected from this showcase to receive the prestigious “Catwalk to Collection” Award, which includes a 12-month contract with Debenhams Group and the opportunity to design a full collection for sale on Debenhams.com.

Throughout the event, Debenhams will also be present with an industry stand, offering CV and portfolio workshops, while actively scouting new talent to join the wider group and its in-house labels.

Debenhams is a digital fashion and lifestyle retailer now owned by the Boohoo Group.

The annual Graduate Fashion Week is deemed the world’s largest and most influential platform for emerging BA fashion talent, gathering work from over 95 leading UK and international universities and colleges, spanning 26 fashion disciplines and showcasing the future of the industry in motion.

With more than 30,000 attendees, the event features 26 catwalk shows, curated exhibition spaces, and a lineup of talks, workshops, and masterclasses led by some of fashion’s most established names. It’s showcase as well as a launchpad for over 5,000 graduates each year, offering a first glimpse at the ideas, aesthetics, and voices that will define the next era of design. It’s a magnet for recruiters, editors, and global industry insiders who come in search of fresh perspectives and undiscovered brilliance. For many graduates, it marks the beginning of a career—not just in fashion, but at the cutting edge of creativity.

Christopher Bailey along with Victoria Beckham are patrons of Graduate Fashion Week

Christopher Bailey of Burberry, and celebrity designer Victoria Beckham have been named as patrons of the UK charity - Graduate Fashion Week - for it’s 25th anniversary year.  The announcement, made by chairman Mark Newton Jones at the launch of the anniversary celebrations, was received by esteemed industry guests at the Houses of Parliament last Thursday alongside a catwalk presentation showcasing the best of Graduate Fashion Week 2015’s graduates. 

Bailey was the first winner of what is now established as the prestigious Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award in 1991. During his speech, he stressed the importance of supporting our future talent, adding, "I was extremely fortunate to have won the first Graduate Fashion Award over 20 years ago. It became a fundamental stepping-stone in my career, giving me a platform that allowed me to pursue the incredible opportunities that I have experienced since.  It is a true honour for me to be able to support the next generation of exciting design talent in the UK, during Graduate Fashion Week’s very special 25th anniversary year."

 On joining the charity as a patron, Victoria Beckham adds: "It is so important to support and mentor young people, and GFW provides an essential platform for them at this important time in their life. I'm delighted to be joining Christopher Bailey working together on such a worthwhile project." 

The event, held in association with Barracuda Search and the UKFT brought together CEOs and HR directors of some of the world’s leading retailers and industry members to launch Graduate Fashion Week’s 25th Anniversary year celebrating past and future graduates of the world's leading event celebrating the creativity of students and graduates within fashion.