So yesterday it was time for the night we’d all been waiting for. Yep, it was Gala Show night and, transport issues aside, the London fash pack, including Claudia Schiffer, Erin O'Connor, John Rocha and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, turned out in their droves to see the hottest graduate fashion collections of the week and to check out THE designers who are set to be the future of British fashion.

Caryn Franklin was our wonderful hostess for the evening and she kicked off the proceedings by introducing the shortlisted collections for the Gala Awards…

We were super pleased to see Ravensbourne’s Hannah Taylor’s innovative knitwear collection had been shortlisted – as a collective we all agreed that her designs were a highlight of this GFW; Akousa Afriyie-Kumi of Kingston’s jumpsuits worn with padded American football helmets looked even better second time around; and we still remained in awe of Wesminster’s Sarah Benning’s intestinal and muscular creations.



River Island CEO, Richard Bradbury, took to the stage after the collections to announce the award winners. As GFW’s Chairman, Terry Mansfield, had earlier stated that “British fashion talent is the best in the world”, we’re sure that Richard, along with fellow GFW judges Matthew Williamson, Giles Deacon, and Lorraine Candy, had some very tough decisions to make.



Sarah Burton of Manchester School of Art picked up the Pringle of Scotland Visionary Knitwear Award for her flapper-style fringed collection; Charlotte Simpson of Northumbria University scooped the Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textiles Award for her rich-coloured tabards and clashing graphic leggings; the Menswear Award went to Ravensbourne’s Mehmet Ali for his dusky pink and neutral tailored pieces; and taking home the Womenswear Award AND the River Island Gold Award (which carries a £20,000 prize for the winner – the only prize of it’s kind for graduates in the fashion industry) was the very lucky and very talented Myrto Samou of UCA Rochester.



So after the awards were handed out it was back to the River Island bar for yet more canapés and even more champagne (terrible, we know!) Revellers were treated to a quick song from Leanne, who performed live on the RI stand on Tuesday and works at our Oxford Street store - when she’s not entertaining the GFW crowd with her melodic tones that is! After Leanne’s performance, guests were hit with an impromptu dance, River Island style! Boy Blue Entertainment crashed the bar and, it’s fair to say, they definitely got the party into full swing…



And I guess that’s pretty much it. Graduate Fashion Week’s almost over for another year but, as River Island CEO Richard Bradbury announced last evening, we’ll be back next year to sponsor the event for the sixth year running. So it’s bye for now - we’ll see you in 2010!