Richard Thornn
§ 04 — University Programmes

University
Programmes

Fashion courses live or die by the work their graduates leave with. A produced show, overseas, on a real runway, with a real crew, turns a final collection into a recruitment film, a press moment and a cohort-builder for the year ahead.

Most independent producers don't touch university work. We do, end to end, from concept to the screening at London Fashion Week. The overseas programme is the point: it gives students international production experience and gives the course a showcase that travels.

§ Flagship Programme — Salford

The overseas programme.

A multi-year arc with the University of Salford, from a runway in the Agafay Desert to a fourteen-location film across Tokyo. Each overseas production doubles as a recruitment showcase and a live teaching environment for the next cohort.

Live Reach
945KViews
11Shows
YouTube · Vimeo
202614 locations across Tokyo · Crew of 15

University of Salford 'Tokyo' Fashion Film

A fast-paced, two-day visual production across Tokyo, capturing the energy of the city alongside 14 emerging graduate designers from Salford University.

The Outcome

A fast-paced, two-day visual production across Tokyo, capturing the energy of the city alongside 14 emerging graduate designers from Salford University. Spanning 14 distinct locations, from iconic city hotspots to quiet backstreets, the shoot highlighted 7 menswear and 7 womenswear collections. Managing a 21-person international team, including 12 models, lead hair and makeup artists, a dual photography team, videography, interpreters, and academic leads, the production delivered a seamless, high-yield content output under demanding on-location logistics.

Full case study
2024Villa / Agafay Desert, Marrakesh · Crew of 35

University of Salford 'RAK' Fashion Show

Fashion students from Salford created a runway in the Agafay Desert of Marrakesh for a fashion film showcasing their graduate collections, a love-letter to Marrakesh screened at London Fashion Week.

The Outcome

The stunning film 'RAK' is a love-letter to Marrakesh, not only a nod to the aviation code of the city but also all the random acts of kindness experienced on the trip. The film presents an expression of the global nature of the industry, creating captivating content through image-making and film, using the Agafay Desert as a stunning backdrop. The location chosen to showcase the MA designers' collections was carefully selected to match the hard work and dedication of the 15 MA Fashion Design students involved. The talented designers screened the film at London Fashion Week at the O2 Arena, followed by a special exhibition in Soho to showcase their designs.

The Process

Bashir Aswat, Programme Leader MA & BA (Hons) Fashion Design, said: "The designers' collections were the product of countless hours of hard work, both on and off campus. During their travels, they gained valuable experience and learned the true meaning of collaboration." "As a group of emerging creatives, they sought to explore the core of fashion, its potential, and how far they could stretch the boundaries of collaboration in this field. This group of students, staff, freelancers, and friends mingled with Marrakesh locals through street casting and documentary photography to celebrate a contemporary understanding of community and togetherness."

University of Salford 'RAK' Fashion Show, University of Salford production frame 1
University of Salford 'RAK' Fashion Show, University of Salford production frame 2
University of Salford 'RAK' Fashion Show, University of Salford production frame 3
University of Salford 'RAK' Fashion Show, University of Salford production frame 4
Full case study
§ What a Programme Includes

Full-spectrum, end-to-end.

A

Fashion Shows

Graduate runway and showcase production, overseas and in the UK. Venue, casting, choreography, lighting and live direction.

B

Film

Fashion films and campaign content shot on location. Treatment, direction, cinematography and post. Cut for press, screening and social.

C

Editorial

Lookbooks and editorial shoots, studio or location, that give graduates portfolio-ready imagery and the course a documented archive.

D

Events

Screenings, exhibitions and launch events. The moment the work meets the industry. Produced with the same rigour as the show itself.

§ On-Course Disciplines

I take the pressure off the course.

The production services are half of it. The other half is the in-house work that lets teaching staff stay focused on teaching, the structural backbone of an academic collection.

A

Seasonal Production Schedule

Running the crits at a production level, making sure models are ready for the students to present in front of a panel. Running the design course's in-house fittings with models.

B

Casting & Presentation

Casting the models and setting presentation times, so students learn the level of presentation a collection demands.

C

First-Year Mentoring

First-years work backstage on dressing, learning to design clothes you can get in and out of quickly, and how to describe them to strangers.

D

Call Sheets, Look Sheets & Rails

Call sheets, dressing look sheets and rail management, the paperwork that keeps a show on time and a rail accountable to the last look.

E

Social Media Management

Social posting for the course, building the public-facing record that turns each show into ongoing recruitment reach.

§ Start a Programme

Build the next cohort's showcase.

If you lead a fashion course and want a produced overseas show, film or event for your graduates, send the parameters. Response within 48 hours.