Seven Westminster graduates across the College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries have been shortlisted by industry experts for the Global Design Graduate Show 2023 (GDGS), the world’s biggest online showcase of creative graduates across the globe.
In collaboration with Gucci, the initiative is open to all Art and Design students that graduated in 2023. The digital platform ARTS THREAD collaborated with GDGS and GUCCI in 2020 and since then the initiative has grown, with industry professionals selecting the winners each year. The first three years saw more than 15,000 students and graduates spanning 100 countries submit their final year projects to the competition.
For this year’s fourth edition, 5000 students uploaded their projects to one of the four categories, but only a select few were shortlisted by the expert judges, including seven recent graduates from Westminster. The categories are Digital Visual Comm Film, Fine Art Photography Craft, Product Architecture Interiors and Fashion Accessories Textiles.
The shortlisted Westminster alumni are Fashion Design BA Honours graduates Alex Vasiliou, Eliza Douglas and Grace Tayo, Menswear MA alumni Anyi Tang and Gyuwon Baek, Interior Architecture and Design BA Honours alumna Naïma Augsburger Salmen and Master of Architecture alumnus Rob Forsey.
Grace Tayo’s project, titled Syncopation, was inspired by jazz legend Miles Davies and vintage promotional posters. The menswear collection is vibrant and colourful, as she uses geometric African printed textile to reflect her family as well as represent the energy of jazz. The items of clothing created includes knitwear, jackets and shirts, all made using different techniques and materials.
About the news Grace said: “I was stunned and pleased to find out I was shortlisted. There are so many talented people that graduated so I’m not surprised to hear that other Westminster students are part of the shortlist too. Honestly, I was unsure about the quality of my portfolio and made edits to my application down to the last minute before the deadline, so I’m glad to see it paid off. I am looking forward to seeing the results of the competition!”
Anthony Rawson-Campbell, Course Director of the Menswear MA course, said: “It’s fantastic to see our incredibly talented graduates shortlisted for such a prestigious award, following in the footsteps of prize-winning alumni such as Priya Ahluwalia. We look forward to championing their success."
People can now vote for their favourite artists and designers, with voting closing on 11 October.
Winners will be announced on 16 October.
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