Commons catwalk: Graduate Fashion Week takes over parliament

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Fashion took over the Houses of Parliament earlier this month – and there wasn't a kitten heel in sight.

MPs and style kings and queens alike, including designer Henry Holland and fashion writer Susie Lau, rubbed shoulders at the annual Graduate Fashion Week catwalk show launching the 2017 programme.

Highlight of the night was a runway featuring the Best of Graduate Fashion Week 2016, with designs from award winners Hazel Symons, Qiwei Jiang, Genevieve Devine, Caoimhe Savage, Antonia Nae and George Hollins.

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The charity, which this year celebrated its 25th anniversary, showcases the work of more than 40 UK fashion schools and 20 international ones to celebrate the future of style. Over the years, it has helped launch the careers of Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon and Matthew Williamson.

"Graduate Fashion Week is an invaluable platform for all fashion graduates," says Holland, the founder and creative director of House of Holland.

"We work in an incredibly competitive industry and the hardest part can be ensuring your work is seen by the right people. Graduate Fashion Week is the platform that connects students with industry leaders and large companies, giving graduates the best possible start."

After a long history with the event, Holland will be helping the future designers even more after being named one of the charity's new global ambassadors. Along with the likes of former The Clothes Show host Caryn Franklin and designers Julien Macdonald – himself a Graduate Fashion Week alumni – and Holly Fulton, he'll mentor and support graduates around the country over the next year.

They'll join patrons photographer Nick Knight and designers Dame Vivienne Westwood, Victoria Beckham and Christopher Bailey, who won the event's first gold prize when he showed in 1991.

There's also a change of look in the event's name – it is rebranding as Graduate Fashion Foundation to reflect its year-round work.