03 Aug 2016 / News about students

Fashion mentors pave the way to dream jobs

Fashion show, exhibition, recruitment and entrepreneurship unite when Future of Fashion brings together fashion businesses and recently graduated designers from Denmark’s design schools
By Marianne Baggesen Hilger

This year, the young graduates with dreams of entrepreneurship receive support from experienced mentors, who with their knowledge and expertise boost the new designers’ development. The internationally renowned haute couture designer Jørgen Simonsen is coming from Paris to make the opening address.

During Fashion Week new design graduates from Design School Kolding, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and VIA Design will show the world what Danish designers can do at the annual fashion show, Future of Fashion, at Børsen in Copenhagen. This year a new mentor initiative sets a greater focus on the young talents, who are ready to stand on their own two feet. A range of experienced, recognised designers and fashion figures are offering to step into the role of mentor for graduates. The guidance, knowledge and skills that the mentors can pass on mean a lot to the ambitious graduates’ professional development and the challenges that come with working independently.

“Future of Fashion receives a great deal of interest from both international and Danish fashion businesses, who value the chance to see all of the newly graduated designers. By being part of Fashion Week, we can come really close to the industry that these designers will soon be a part of, and at the same time, ensure that the graduates who want to start their own businesses secure valuable contacts,” explains Betina Simonsen, director of Lifestyle & Design Cluster, which is responsible for the event in collaboration with education institutions and industry organisations.

Learning from industry legends
With a dedicated mentor, the young designers receive the benefit of collaboration before, during and after Fashion Week, so Future of Fashion and its connection to mentors acts as a solid boost that can make it less intimidating for graduates to find their way into the working world. Beyond this, Future of Fashion has a value for businesses and industry figures, who can see the graduates’ bold and creative designs with their own eyes, because the show gives them a precise and complete overview of just what these new talents can do. This lets the businesses recruit designers here and now – straight from the catwalk. The graduates will present their portfolios, showcasing their designs in the form of drawings, colour charts, material samples and photos.

A helping hand for entrepreneurs
The fashion fair CIFF has offered Future of Fashion stands for the newly graduated designers.

“We sponsor the graduate stands, because we feel it is important to support young, up-and-coming talent, and it’s simply a really good initiative,” says Mads Emil Møller, communications manager at CIFF.

Betina Simonsen explains, that the Lifestyle & Design Cluster has observed that many graduates want to establish their own brand.

“We aim to create the optimal conditions for this group by letting them exhibit at CFF and matching them with experienced mentors. Together with everything else that Future of Fashion stands for, the graduates receive the best possible start to the future they dream of, whether that is as an employee or an entrepreneur”.

The CIFF exhibitors are already in the process of establishing themselves independently and have production agreements, so they can supply interested Danish and international buyers.

Further information available from:
Director Betina Simonsen, Lifestyle & Design Cluster, e-mail betina@ldcluster.com, telephone +45 29 36 00 90.
Project manager Ulla Skjødt, Lifestyle & Design Cluster, e-mail ulla@itsfashiondarling.dk, telephone +45 26 24 32 24.

Facts
Time: Tuesday 9th August 17:00 Place: Børsen, Slotsholmsgade 1, 1217 København K
Opening speaker: The internationally renowned haute couture designer Jørgen Simonsen, Paris. Working independently since 2001, he has achieved great success in his designs for Valentino, Versace and Galliano, among others. Jørgen Simonsen will share his knowledge of what it takes to create an international career.

Press can register for the event via futureoffashion@agencyv.com

Visit Future of Fashion at stand En-029 at CIFF in Bella Center from Wednesday 10th to Friday 12th August between 9am and 6pm.

Future of Fashion: Future of Fashion works to increase the fashion industry’s visibility, as well as supporting the development of Danish design and new talents. Many of the young, recently graduated designers dream of their own business and make the most of the opportunity to show off their innovative creations on a 100m2 stand at CIFF (stand En-029), where the many buyers that take part in Fashion Week can order designs.

Future of Fashion is taking place for the fourth year in a row.

Organisers: Future of Fashion is part of Lifestyle & Design Cluster, in collaboration with partners at Design School Kolding, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and VIA Design, as well as WEAR/Dansk Erhverv, Dansk Fashion and Textile and Kopenhagen Fur.

Read more about Lifestyle & Design Cluster here: http://ldcluster.com/

From show to sales

The potential and visibility around the new designers at Future of Fashion is significant – as demonstrated by previous shows.

  • In June 2015 Mathilde Matthislund from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts took part, and now she designs women’s clothing for the successful brand ADPT.
  • Katrine Bremer graduated from VIA Design and is now employed by the fashion and denim brand Won Hundred. 
  • For Merja Hannele Ulvinen, who studied at Design School Kolding, Future of Fashion became the way in to a job with the Swedish fashion giant, H&M.

Other previous participants have found work with Inditex, among others.

The Future of Fashion designers
Designers, Design School Kolding:
Sia Rosenberg
Jenny Hanna Hirvonen
Christina Lindgaard Gerken
Pernille Birk Zachariassen
Erika Positano
Liselotte Hornstrup
Nicoline B. Dalgaard
Julie Als
Cæcilie Dyrup
Katrine Elander
Tobias Jørgensen
Trine Stenmann
Amanda Nygren
Rikke Frausig
Stine Sørgaard Jensen
Amanda Axelsen Siggaard

DESIGNERS NEST:
Christina Lindgaard Gerken -  christinalindgaardgerken@gmail.com
Cæcilie Dyrup - caecilie.dyrup@gmail.com
Nicoline Borum Dalgaard - Contact@borumdalgaard.com

Designers, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK):
Lin Routhe
Lisa Lou Berggren
Bodil Møller
Ida Berg
Iben Lea Rasmussen
Mette Jerslev
Lea Dibbern
Tobias Birk Nielsen
Rikke M. Pedersen
Agnes Bjerre
Maia Omann Bindesbøll
Lise Juul Rasmussen
Julie Amalie Svensson
Shila Gaonkar

DESIGNERS NEST: Shila Gaonkar

“By being part of Fashion Week, we can come really close to the industry that these designers will soon be a part of, and at the same time, ensure that the graduates who want to start their own businesses secure valuable contacts.” Betina Simonsen, director of Lifestyle & Design Cluster”