Graduate Fashion Foundation partners with The Drops market

The Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF) has partnered with The Drops market, a monthly market created to feature designers and brands, to showcase emerging graduate designers.

The five graduate designers chosen were Donnel Chavunduka with his sustainable and gender-neutral brand Geminii Studios, Jennifer Healy with her British slow fashion brand Peach Eyes, responsible designer Mariah Esa, Max Alexander with his streetwear brand Bryder and Sarah Thompson with her fashion brand TOM-O.

These designers will be supported and sponsored by GFF with branding, mentoring and signage.

The first three-day event ran from 5-7 May. It was curated by the design studio HemingwayDesign, where Wayne Hemingway and his team of industry professionals selected the fashion, homeware and lifestyle pieces for the display.

Nicola Hitchens, GFF director and head of special projects at the GFF, said: “GFF has launched the careers of some of the most successful designers of our time, including Christopher Bailey and Stella McCartney, and we’re proud to continue creating these opportunities for the next generation of aspiring designers.

“Market concepts like The Drops allow their impeccable talent to flourish and grow, both through retailing and by showcasing their brands to a public audience, often for the first time.”

Anthea Harries, head of assets at King’s Cross, explained: “We are very excited to welcome The Drops back for 2022, and we hope that by offering emerging designers a platform to showcase their ideas and products, it can elevate them to the next stage in their careers.

“Coal Drops Yard is the perfect setting for this; it champions both independent and mainstream retailers, so a successful brand could go from selling their wares at the market to taking a small unit on Lower Stable Street, and perhaps in time go on to take a large unit in the main shopping area.”

The Drops Market will run a monthly event until September 2022 at Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross.