Would you believe that graduate season is finally among us? Students across the board should be chanting summer… summer… summer in a tense classroom as if they were extras in the cast of High School Musical, getting ready to throw piles of graded papers or a sleek black cap into the atmosphere to celebrate the academic year finally drawing to close. I guess Disney must have cut the scene where the entire world entered a deadly pandemic and took near enough four months out of the academic year. So, with no blueprint to follow, late nights in the library fuelled by one too many red bulls turned into coffee and desk sessions at home, with students donning trackies and pyjamas instead of a cap and gown in order to complete their studies whilst the world came to a slight standstill.

Still, with resilience, patience and insane amounts of drive, they made it. To celebrate this year’s graduating class of 2020, London College of Fashion has planned something big. At the beginning of this month across all disciplines, from Fashion Photography to Styling, LCF announced a digital takeover with #LCFClassOf2020, a chance for each course to make an impression on those in industry, and platform students who have not been able to partake in the College’s annual catwalk and exhibition due to COVID-19 related health risks.

Spanning fashion, design, communication, art and performance, the takeover is now in its third week, gearing up to the launch of UAL Graduate Showcase, a huge online exhibition created with IBM on July 27th. Work from the graduates will explore the themes of Body, Connection, Discovery, Identity and Renewal – to represent the areas in which our lives are currently being challenged. With an added emphasis on technology and sustainability, students were challenged to improvise and adapt to an entirely new industry, one that grows more inclusive and digitally-focused every day. From Niamh Rooney’s dance-meets-fashion platform Out Of Step, Paul Toner’s menswear lad’s mag Clobber, or even Kallan Hughes’ photos of glitterized Mugler babes, the #LCFClassOf2020 hashtag is already boasting passion and creativity in spade loads.

“London College of Fashion Class of 2020 will be forever known as the students who graduated against the odds in extraordinary circumstances,” said Professor Roni Brown (Head of College at London College of Fashion, UAL). “I am incredibly proud of how the LCF Class of 2020 have responded to recent events, showing a level of ingenuity which ranks them amongst the best in the world.

“Now, more than ever, we are calling on the fashion industry to back our graduates, not only to celebrate and amplify their achievements but also to employ them and invest in their endeavours.” Brown goes on to affirm that the #LCFClassOf2020 will be the one’s to watch in years to come, voices that will shape the next few decades of art & design. “I am in no doubt that the next generation will be the ones who will help to re-set and challenge the industry to be better; ensuring the future of the fashion industry is one that values both people and planet.”