For BA (Hons) Fashion graduate Jazmine Mitchener, taking a collection to Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) had been a goal since before starting first year.
A big focus, particularly for her final year, Jazmine says she wanted to achieve “as much out of it as possible.” This meant talking to industry professionals and making as many connections throughout the week of the event as she could.
“I wanted as many people as possible to see my collection,” Jazmine explains. “The whole buzz of a fashion show is an environment that I’ve always loved and something that sparked my interest in the industry. I just loved the whole experience and the atmosphere that came with GFW.”
The collection, Happy Hour, comprises five looks of both women’s and menswear. Taking inspiration from – in Jazmine’s words – “the vibe that comes across when you’re in a cocktail bar. The decoration, lighting, posters, and the bar itself.
“When designing, from the offset, tailoring was a focus for me. I’ve always admired the structured yet technical intricacies of this craft, so I knew that I wanted to include that aspect. I linked this into my concept to suggest perhaps you’ve been working in the city and then you’ve gone to a bar after work. By contrasting this style against fabrics such as tulle, I was able to create dramatic impact and juxtaposition within my garments.”
A few weeks after GFW, celebrity stylist Manny Lago approached Jazmine on Instagram, requesting Happy Hour for a festival shoot after seeing the collection on the catwalk. Knowing the risk of damage to garments at festivals, Jazmine declined but asked Manny to keep her in mind for future opportunities.
This bit of resistance and business sense allowed the collection to be picked up for another of Manny’s clients, Strictly Come Dancing professional Nikita Kuzmin, as he prepared to shoot promos for his solo tour. This resulted in Nikita using images of himself wearing Jazmine’s ‘Champagne Suit’ for the poster advert and all promotional marketing for his tour.
The collaboration with Nikita wasn’t the only success to come out of GFW for Jazmine. As a result of the connections built over the week, she was able to secure job interviews with the established commercial fashion and print design studio, Everley Studios, which led on to a week’s work experience at their new London offices.
“I feel as though I gained so much experience in such a short time,” Jazmine says. “Adobe Illustrator was where I felt I built my knowledge the most. AUB’s focus on Adobe is well encouraged, but it’s a skill that can always be developed and improved.”
This work experience led Jazmine onto a recommendation for a fashion supplier with whom she has begun an employment contract.
Even after nearly five months since graduation, Jazmine has no plans to pull the curtain on the Happy Hour collection just yet. Not only is she in the planning stages of a shoot for Swanky Magazine, she also directed a shoot for the collection in London in October.
For this shoot, Jazmine was assisted by a couple of fellow 2024 AUB graduates, Ethan Parker and Lola Tyler, both of whom studied BA (Hons) Commercial Photography. Jazmine explains more about their story:
“We lived together throughout the whole of uni. I was in a fortunate position where in my first-year accommodation, I was living with amazing photographers.”
When asked about collaborating at AUB, Jazmine comments, “Creative Match Nights always came in handy; however, I also recommend building relationships with potential collaborators throughout your whole degree. I think this is really important to keep in mind as it can help out everyone involved.”
With her new career in London and otherwise doing as much as she can with Happy Hour, Jazmine offers her one piece of advice for future AUB students:
“Find a way that works for you to organise yourself, as early on as possible. I would write countless lists – that’s what I’ve always found works for me, and I was definitely able to develop that skill. You’ve got to manage potentially five different projects that you’re working on, and within each of those projects – especially on my course – you have to be able to complete every different element. You’ve got to be able to pattern-cut, toile, construct, and style it, and build a concept around it at the same time.
“Being as organised as possible will help everything flow better; then if you’re thrown a curveball throughout your day, you already have your plan and can better allocate time to fix any problems or attack a new issue.
“It doesn’t have to be lists. Whatever you find works with your mind, go for that, and use that method of organisation for you, to allow yourself to also enjoy this amazing process because I found it really helped me.”
