The head of Central Saint Martins' BA Fashion course has voiced support for a protest staged by students who were not chosen to exhibit at the university's end-of-year catwalk show.
Speaking to Deezen, course director Willie Walters called last week's #encoreCSM a "fantastic initiative" and said it "allowed those students not selected for the press show to present their designs in a setting which related directly to the college and their course."
"I was thrilled that these students were so proactive and professional in their approach," she added.
The students excluded from the catwalk took to Granary Square on the Central Saint Martins' King's Cross Campus to stage a guerilla presentation showcasing their collections.
Models and friends donned their designs and stood in a line around the square's fountain, in front of visitors leaving and arriving at the official press show.
"Our aim is for equal representation in support of current and future students on the BA Fashion pathway," read flyers handed out by students taking part in the protest.
Only 40 designers were included in the press show, around one third of the course's students, selected by a panel of judges and examiners.
"They may well be disappointed not to be chosen," Walters said of the protesters. "But we find that this makes very little difference to their employability.
She followed on to explain that the work of 40 students usually takes over one hour on the catwalk, and that including more students would make the duration of the show too long for the audience.
The number of students in Central Saint Martin's fashion department has grown significantly as of late, with approximately 110 students now being accepted to the university's BA courses each year.
Walters added that the press show is for press only, and that most potential employers will be able to see the work of all the students at a separate exhibition held at the end of June.
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