Fashanne
Fashion Talent of the Future Awards
When I founded Fashanne, Fashion Talent of the Future Awards, my vision was simple yet powerful — to create a platform that celebrates, supports, and showcases the extraordinary young designers emerging from our universities. I wanted to bridge the gap between education and employment, giving tomorrow’s talent the recognition and opportunities they deserve today.
Since our first event in 2016, over 500 students from eight leading universities — NTU, DMU, Derby, Lincoln, Northampton, Loughborough, BCU, and Huddersfield — have taken part in the Fashanne programme. Together with 30 leading fashion brands, we’ve created an inspiring community that celebrates the next generation of British design talent. Through our partnerships, Fashanne has become a catalyst for real opportunity. Since launching our internship programme in 2022, 32 internships have been awarded with companies including Pentland Brands, Next, Paul Smith, ITL Group, Stoll GB, GreenEarth Cleaning, and Waring Brooke — helping graduates take their first steps into the industry. We’ve also awarded £16,600 through the Fashanne Fund, directly supporting our winners as they kickstart their careers after graduation, and provided over 100 hours of mentoring through our brand sponsors.
Our industry collaborations have continued to grow, with six major partnerships to date — from exclusive workshops and webinars to co-branded product development projects with brands such as Next and Paul Smith. The recognition has been just as exciting: 56 national and regional press features, including Tatler and BBC Radio 2, and a visual presence reaching over 4 million people every year through our photographic display at East Midlands Airport.
What began as a regional celebration has grown into a nationally recognised initiative that shines a light on the extraordinary creativity, innovation, and determination of the UK’s young fashion designers. At its heart, Fashanne is about giving a voice to young creatives, encouraging innovation, and fostering a sense of community across the industry. Fashion is one of the UK’s most dynamic sectors, and by nurturing new talent, we’re investing in the continued success and global influence of British design. I am immensely proud of how far we’ve come — and even more excited about what’s ahead. The passion, ingenuity, and courage of our young designers never fail to inspire me. They are, truly, the future of fashion.
Be a part of Fashanne…
Latest News
Check out the latest news – Fashanne newsletter – click here
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Feature in the In Association magazine by the ASBCI – click here
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Fashanne chats to Brooke Sheerin – her experience of Fashanne and how she ended up with a job at Next at the end of it! – click here
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FASHANNE TAKES FLIGHT AT EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT
Designs by finalists of Fashanne have been unveiled as part of a permanent exhibition at East Midlands Airport. The stunning 24-piece photography display shows off the designs created by final-year fashion and textile students from Universities that have participated in these prestigious awards over the years. Full article
“The standard at Fashanne is phenomenal. For me, it’s a treat to spend time with such engaged, enthusiastic and talented young people. We have a big challenge ahead of us in this industry, and only with ingenuity and creativity in design and the making of the clothes, we are going to solve this problem. Every year I’m delighted and surprised to see what the students produce.” Patrick Grant, Fashion Designer and Businessman
“It is always a wonderful feeling when you see young talent, and think, actually, not only you can do it, but you do it well”. Giuliano Martello, Menswear Coordinator, Paul Smith
“Thank you for putting on a really successful evening – I am not just saying that because of the success of NTU, but because of the industry engagement.” Michael Marsden, Executive Dean, Nottingham School of Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University
“A massive thank you to the Fashanne Awards and their judges for awarding me as the winner of the 2023 High Street Menswear Fashanne Award. I am so grateful that judges from such well-renowned fashion brands and platforms are fascinated by my work, and I thoroughly look forward to see where it will take me in my career. Thank you so much to Next for offering me an internship as part of the award, I’m eager to bring an alternative approach to multi-purpose outerwear and look forward to becoming a part of your welcoming team.” Scarlett Simpson, Fashion Design Graduate from Nottingham Trent University
“The Fashanne Awards are brilliant! I don’t think people know how amazing they are. I hope you feel proud of what you and your team have achieved.” Katie Greenyer, Creative Director, Pentland Brands
“Excellent evening and extremely enjoyable! We really enjoy supporting the universities with their different projects and last night proves why it’s so important. Well done – you should be very proud.” Matt Boam, Director, Print 4
Fashanne 2025 Highlights
Please check out the Fashanne 2025 page
“From the fantastical to the exquisite – the talent on show was there for all to see!”
Fashanne 2025 was our eighth awards and our sixth live event (as we went online for 2020 and 2021), and the students’ designs were outstanding! The whole evening celebrating these fashion designers of the future proved a great success.
Congratulations to the winners:
The Athleisure Design Award sponsored by Canterbury
Scarlet Taylor (Nottingham Trent University)
The Commercial Design Award sponsored by ITL – Intelligent Label Solutions
Holly Doyle (De Montfort University)
The Designer Menswear Award sponsored by Paul Smith’s Foundation
Marcel Wargocki (De Montfort University)
The Footwear & Accessory Design Award sponsored by Pentland Brands
Jamie O’Grady (De Montfort University)
The High Street Menswear Award sponsored by Next
Maya Higgins (Nottingham Trent University)
The ASBCI Innovation Award
Mara James (De Montfort University)
The Knitwear Design Award sponsored by Waring Brooke
Lucy George (Nottingham Trent University)
The Sustainability Award
Ava Wolsey (Nottingham Trent University)
The Textile Design Award
Charlotte Oliver (Nottingham Trent University)
The Womenswear Design Award sponsored by Next
Maisie Bodington (Nottingham Trent University)
The People’s Choice Award sponsored by East Midlands Chamber
Nicole Tikolo (Nottingham Trent University) with 21,758 votes out of 48,000.
The Daniel Hanson Award for Excellence
Marcel Wargocki (De Montfort University)
A big thank you to Patrick Grant for being our lead judge and co-host for the evening. The judges: Rachel Varela, Sophie Etches, Hayley Solomon, Giuliano Martello, Katie Greenyer, Jonathan Pedley, Dr Julie King, Samantha Brooke, Garry Knox, Zeph Logan and Nicholas Hanson for their efforts and expertise, we know they had a very hard job choosing the winners.
Thank you to our fantastic sponsors: NEXT, Paul Smith’s Foundation, Pentland Brands, ITL- Intelligent Label Solutions, ASBCI, Waring Brooke, East Midlands Chamber, Canterbury, Print 4, Leicester College, Daniel Hanson.
Thank you to the universities: Nottingham Trent University, De Montfort University and Birmingham City University.
The awards was made even more special by our wonderful guest models – Tomasz Wisniewski (participant of 11 reality TV shows, public vote winner ‘Top Model UK’, winner ‘Total Wipeout UK’) and Annabel Mae (actress, model).
Gold Sponsors
Universities
