Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted a fashion graduation show at Central Saint Martins, blaring sirens and chanting “all eyes on Rafah” as graduates presented their collections.
Wednesday night’s press show saw 40 designers selected from a cohort of more than 150 present six looks to show their vision as a young designer.
But it was marked by protests before, during and after the extravaganza at the King’s Cross campus.
Protesters heckled arrivals and unfurled hand-sewn tapestries which read “ceasefire now” and “f*** your lecture on craft, my people are dying” at the back of the show space.
They also threw confetti-style slips from the banisters, printed with a message accusing the college of “investing our tuition money into banks and business that finance the bombing of Palestinian universities and students”.
A decision was made not to sweep these off the catwalk for the final procession.
It comes as a new wave of student campus occupations are springing up across the UK, including London universities UCL, SOAS and Goldsmiths, following crackdowns on pro-Palestine student protests in America.
The graduating students’ new work still sang with all the crazy embellishments you would expect from the fashion college which once trained Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Stella McCartney.
There were Bartholomew Heritage’s zombie punks, covered in latex; Terry Milligan’s queer, Papal figures who swished metres-long, neon pink, disco ball printed capes and Yodea Williams’ extraordinary, sculptured garments crafted from string, sticks and other found material.
The front row was packed with familiar faces too. Sir Grayson Perry, former Chancellor of University of the Arts London, dressed as a clown and New Romantics club promoter Philip Salon sat on the floor in rainbow Lycra and a Vespa helmet, while Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit’s son Lennon nursed a pint and DJ Princess Julia was seated alongside Drag Race Star Dakota Schiffer.
They watched as students presented their unique styling concepts: sparkling opera coats read “here to steal your jobs” on the reverse, goggles were worn as necklaces, dresses had bike tyre trains, espadrilles were paired with neon hockey socks and ballooning skirts of six-layered, iridescent tulle with knit trims were strutted along by six foot something boys in stripper shoes.
A presentation of the L’Oreal prize winners at the end of the show was traded this year for a quick audio announcement, played over continued chanting.
Marina Victoria Ocampo and Nodira Dadajonova were runners up, beaten by Patrick Garvey, who is from Liverpool, and won with his snow-crust effect knitwear.
“I am just elated and overwhelmed,” he said afterwards. “I feel like the hard work has finally paid off.”