Fashion students step out in style at top industry event

The 2022 awards were staged at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall last month and, stepping out in style to attend the red-carpet event alongside stars including Tilda Swinton, Florence Pugh, James McAvoy, Lily James, FKA Twigs, and Stormzy, were University of East London (UEL) postgraduate fashion students on the MA International Fashion Business and MA Fashion.

The VIP trip has become a fixture on the UEL calendar. Organised by Kent Le, postgraduate programme director, it is part of the MA curriculum to enrich the student learning experience at UEL as well as to give students the opportunity to meet and mingle with key industry business leaders, designers, creatives and retailers.

Speaking about BFA 2022, Kent Le said,

The strength of our MA courses lies in the industry exposure we provide to students so that they have a platform to reach out and connect with like-minded people.

"The BFA gala is Europe's biggest event in the fashion calendar so it is only natural for our students to attend and be seen at this prestigious, high-profile industry event.

"We are now entering the sixth year of MA International Fashion Business.  It has become one of the most well recruited and well received postgraduate programmes in the School of Arts and Creative Industries at UEL. One of the reasons it is so successful is the industry exposure we give to our students – and our attendance at British Fashion Awards is a great example of this."

Also, joining the UEL PG cohort were undergraduate students from the prestigious Fordham University New York where Kent Le is a visiting professor.

"Many of the Fordham University students love the fashion scene and culture here in the UK," explained Kent Lee, "so I invited them to join our PG Fashion cohort to celebrate this event together, forging new international friendship and potential collaborations."

Dazzling event

Hosted by British and Jamaican actress Jodie Turner-Smith, BFA 2022 celebrated 23 awards including 15 Leaders of Change. It also featured a dazzling tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, a huge supporter of British fashion, who died in September 2022.

On attending the golden-ticket event, La-Toyah Young, MA International Fashion Business student and emerging designer, said, "I had a fantastic evening at the British Fashion Awards, it is a memory I will cherish forever and an experience like no other.

"It felt amazing to be surrounded by so many talented and inspiring people within the fashion community. Thank you so much to our programme leader Kent and to UEL for organising this wonderful experience."

Accolades given on the night included Designer of the Year which was presented to Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino by Hollywood actor Florence Pugh, and the British Fashion Council Foundation Award which went to  S.S.DALEY.

The awards also honoured and celebrated Leaders of Change; the designers, brands, creatives and individuals who created positive change within the fashion industry in 2022, under categories: Environment, People and Creativity.

Nominees, winners and honourees were voted for by a panel comprising more than 800 key members of the international fashion industry.

The postgraduate fashion cluster at UEL includes the popular MA International Fashion Business (IFB) suite with pathway courses in fashion marketing, PR and luxury branding. For more information on the MA IFB programme, visit our webpage

For more information on the MA/MFA Fashion, visit the webpage