Nine BA (Hons) Fashion graduates from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) earned selections, awards, commendations and places in finals following a successful run at Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) 2026.
Poppy Jones received Highly Commended for the Childrenswear Award, supported by Boden, for a childrenswear range developed from her existing menswear collection, Floral Masculinity.
“Floral Masculinity explores the relationship between masculinity, femininity and personal heritage through the reinterpretation of workwear,” Poppy explains. “Inspired by my grandad who worked as a fireman, the project developed from an image of him in his fireman’s uniform, covered in blue floral bedsheets.”
With the childrenswear range, Poppy focuses on child safety and visibility in outdoor settings. She integrates reflective fabrics, high-visibility detailing and bold contrasting colours into the designs to ensure not only eye-catching and practical garments, but also that the children are seen.
“Receiving Highly Commended for the Childrenswear award at Graduate Fashion Week 2026 was incredibly rewarding,” Poppy adds. “It felt like recognition that the collection’s message about child safety and visibility had connected with people.
“It was a great feeling to present my project that I had worked so hard on to industry professionals. It was a proud moment that gave me confidence in my design approach and has encouraged me to continue designing and creating.
“I’m excited to keep developing the ideas behind my childrenswear collection and bring those designs to life through garment construction. It’s a chance to explore how functionality and safety can come together in a way that’s both practical and engaging for children. Alongside that, I’d also like to continue exploring menswear, building on the concepts from my graduate collection and seeing how I can push my design approach even further. I’m looking forward to experimenting with new ideas, developing my skills and seeing where the next stage of my fashion journey takes me.”
Poppy was one of four finalists in the Liberty Fabrics competition, along with Chloé Adams, Ellie Briggs and Halley Richardson. The students received fabric from Liberty to create designs that were included in their Floral Rebellion catwalk at GFW.
Other selections include Nirvaan Mehra for the Menswear catwalk and Ellie Briggs and Ellie Humphrey for the F&F Catwalk to Store catwalk.
In addition, Lauren Mallinson was selected for the GFW 2026 ASOS Portfolio Day.
Meanwhile, BA (Hons) Fashion’s Maeve Dean was shortlisted in a total of three categories for her project, The Seeds of Time; namely, the Knit Portfolio Award, the Tailoring Award, and the Hilary Alexander Sustainable Trailblazer Collection Award.
“The Seeds of Time was sparked by the current economic climate of the UK and Ireland as well as the effects of the industrial revolution on agricultural industries and communities,” Maeve explains.
“The rapid industrialisation of farming resulted in an unprecedented loss of jobs and, in turn, skills. I aimed to refocus the public's attention towards heritage skills and craft and celebrate, considered, slow production.
“Seeing my work leave such an impression on people is very rewarding. I can only hope it inspires others to pursue similar research.”
Nominated for the Tailoring Award alongside Maeve was Mayo Kanamori, who went on to take home the Silver Award at the GFW Gala Show. Mayo’s collection has since been featured in Hello Fashion magazine.
Other AUB talent has been recognised by the media, including Halley Richardson, who was listed in an article in 10 Magazine; Chloé Adams, whose outfit featured in Vogue Italia; and Kalia Tu and Jeffi Rebello, who both appear in an article in Noctis Magazine.
“With 13 Fashion students shortlisted for awards and opportunities at GFW 2026, this is a real testament to the breadth, skill and agility of the work being produced by students at AUB,” says Elena Crehan, Course Leader on BA (Hons) Fashion at AUB.
“From illustration to tailoring, textiles to sustainable thinking, the range and quality of practice on show was exceptional. Every student presented and articulated their work to industry panels with confidence and professionalism. This interview practice is worth its weight in gold, and the students gained so much from the conversations they had with industry professionals.
“The bar is incredibly high, and we are immensely proud of the entire graduating cohort – we’ll be watching their next steps with great interest.”
Graduate Fashion Week 2026 took place at the Truman Brewery, London from 15–18 June 2026.
