For the first time ever last season, Vauxhall Fashion
Scout presented our very own Graduate Showcase with 11 graduates selected from
across the UK to present their work at the Freemason's Hall in Covent
Garden.
Steven Tai from Royal College of Art, London was one of
those eleven graduates, and since has gone on to work for prestigious designer
Stella McCartney. Now, whilst continuing his work with Stella, Steven has been
hand-picked as one of 10 finalists for the Hyeres Festival in
France.
The Festival International de Mode et de Photographie à
Hyères, directed by Jean-Pierre Blanc since its creation 27 years ago, brings
together ten young fashion designers and ten young photographers under the
patronage of an international jury.
An observatory of trends as well as an international
launching pad, the Hyères festival has showcased more than 300 first-time
collections by new fashion designers from all over the world and exhibited the
works of over 130 young and innovative photographers.
The festival's aim is to offer young talents a genuine,
professional opportunity by providing them with material and logistical
support, as well as profitable contacts and intensive media exposure.
The 10 finalists- selected by Yohji Yamamoto, will
have to present their collections to a jury of fashion industry experts, before
all collections go on to be exhibited in France until the end of May.
Three awards are presented by the panel, each carrying a prestigious
reputation:
The
L'Oreal Professionnel Award- A design grant is given to the winner
along with the L'Academie L'Oreal Professionnel space in Paris, for the
designer to produce their next catwalk show along with backstage hair styling
and assistance.
The
Premiere Vision Prize- Another design grant, along with full publicity
at its Paris show in September of 2012.
The
Chloe Prize- A design grant plus the opportunity to sell the
winning design under the Maison Chloe brand name.
A 'Public Prise of the City of Hyeres' is also an award
where the audience of the catwalk presentations are asked to select the
candidate of their choice.
The entire team at Vauxhall Fashion Scout wish Steven the best of luck,
and we will keep you updated with the latest from Steven and the Hyeres Festival.
To have a look at Steven's S/S12 collection- head to his website by clicking here, or learn more about Hyere's Festival here.