Fashion students’ dreams come true as Giles Deacon and Stuart Vevers visit MMU’s fashion department

Manchester Metropolitan University fashion department welcomed celebrated designers Giles Deacon and Stuart Vevers fresh from the British Fashion Awards. 

Giles Deacon, best known for his innovative, colourful designs, debuted his first collection GILES in 2004 at London Fashion Week, and ever since has inspired fashion students at MMU. After a successful colaboration with High Street giant New Look, his prescence at the fashion department was highly anticipated. 

Stuart Vevers also has an impressive CV. After starting his career at Calvin Klein he progressed rapidly, working at huge names such as Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Mulberry. He is now executive creative director at Coach.

The two designers have been friends for years and their guest lectures at MMU have been a dream come true for fashion students, with social media going crazy with excited tweets from the department. 

During the Q&A Giles revealed his struggles after starting at the bottom of the fashion food chain. He was once an intern for John Galliano and ended up driving vans all day. His advice was facinating: “Prepare to do absolutely everything. You will take the bins out and sweep the floor.”

“I totally work on instinct, there is nothing worse than a stale design studio,” he said.

Stuart told the audience of students what he looks for in a designer: “I think Tom Ford said, ‘I would only hire someone who I would have dinner with, talent has to be there but then it’s personality. Am I going to have fun with this person?.. That’s when the best ideas happen.”

Their invaluable advice kept  fashion students encaptured, leaving a lasting impression on how quickpaced the fashion industry and what lies ahead for them.

Stuart ended with: “Technology has changed massively how we work, university is a rare opportunity that you’re never going to have again!”