The future faces of fashion: The 13 CSM graduates redefining the industry

FASHIONA Hot Minute WithEditorials
Written By Jeffrey Thomson

This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…

 
 

Meet the 13 Central Saint Martins graduates redefining fashion, challenging the industry, and making work on their own terms.

It’s not every day you graduate from university, and certainly not in the landscape of a global pandemic like this one (remember when Boris said he’d be able to “turn the tide” of Covid in a matter of 12 weeks, lol). For this year’s graduating class, the past 12 months of their degree have been fraught with lockdowns, social distancing and enough restrictions to make you question whether even leaving the house is really worth it. And yet, for this group of the best and brightest young designers, communicators and journalists at London’s renowned CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS, it’s not been a year of rest, but rather a time of innovation, creative thinking and sheer perseverance.

Ahead of the undergraduate fashion show and university-wide showcase, we set up camp on the college’s third floor bridge where we photographed and spoke to 13 final year students about their experience over the past four years of their degree, how CSM has changed the way they view fashion and the industry as a whole, and their plans on life and jobs post-graduation.

 
 
 

NAME SIMONE BEYENE
COURSE BA Fashion Communication & Promotion

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Simone Beyene: Fade2Black.me is an immersive online music experience to NEY LIQA’S EP release Fade To Black. We wanted to challenge and push a new release format where the listener gets to experience the world of Fade to black through a visual playlist, a platform completely dedicated to the music experience.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

SB: Not sure CSM has given me a changed view of the industry…having people from industry coming to do talks definitely give an insight, but I think for me it was during my year out that you get a proper view of how the industry works. CSM is definitely a safe space to create, whereas the industry has a lot of rules and guidelines.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

SB: Exiting, testing, growth and community.

JT: What’s next for Simone?

SB: I have a couple of projects in the works and some existing collaborations coming up in the near future.

 

NAME BAILEY SLATER
COURSE BA Fashion Journalism

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final project?

Bailey Slater: FAG MAG is a biannual zine for the gays AND the girls that’s been quietly brewing away since my teens – I just didn’t know it then. I wanted to make something that made sense of all this Y2K nostalgia in the air as I’ve been obsessed with the early ‘aughts since forever. Essentially, it’s about gay pop culture, having a laugh and a bunch of things I think are sick!

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

BS: I definitely think it’s taught me a lot about harnessing creativity and how to research properly, which is super important in everything I do. TBH, I’ve also never been around so many rich people, so that was a lot to adjust to. I just assumed everyone would’ve came from a special measures school that had a sex dungeon where the headteacher, who spunked away £100k of school money, would spend most of his day – but no!

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

BS: The sexiest, sweatiest chaos imaginable (yes, I know that's five words)!

JT: What’s next for Bailey?

BS: Hopefully a winning stint on Big Brother if they ever bring it back. I have a fuck-ton of festivals booked for the summer too, so plenty of boogieing before I have to properly sort my life out!

 

NAME FARIS BENNANI
COURSE BA Fashion Design Menswear

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Faris Bennani: My collection is called My Wedding and it is literally how I would imagine to marry myself, in a weird and mysterious way.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

FB: CSM has taught to take any sort of challenge and to be flexible.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

FB: Fun, serious, growth, respect.

JT: What’s next for Faris?

FB: Faris is going to graduate and have a job!

 

NAME CLAUDIA GUSELLA
COURSE BA Fashion Design Womenswear

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Claudia Gusella: The title of the collection is Everything is Great* and it's a positive and passionate response to the tragedies in life. The central concept is overcoming a traumatic event and finding acceptance. In a way, I created my looks as characters helping through the process, I used symbols with a historical and personal meaning in the garments and material development.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

BS: CSM was instrumental to freeing myself and developing my practice without any boundaries. I feel like it’s made me fearless and extremely resourceful. It gave me the space, not just physical but mental too, to make the collection of my dreams!

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

BS: Anxiety, Management, Crash Course.

JT: What’s next for Claudia?

BS: I want to see where this collection will lead me. I am also working on starting a collective with my dearest friends to make beautiful projects together and with other creatives.

 

NAME SELI KORSI
COURSE BA Fashion Design Womenswear

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Seli Korsi: Awake in Sleep. In my project I take my paintings, which focus primarily on beauty and esoteric symbolism, and expand upon them by turning them into prints which I layer to create a 3D-like mirage effect to represent my own hazy and sometimes unclear state of mind.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

SK: I would say CSM has built on my understanding of seeing fashion and the industry as a mad beast. In the best way, respectfully.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

SK: Tough times never last.

JT: What’s next for Seli?

SK: To marry more of my paintings into my fashion work with this print concept I have and maybe have NAOMI CAMPBELL sport a SELI KORSI ORIGINAL. That is one goal I’m working towards.

 

NAME ALBERTO AGOSTI
COURSE BA Fashion Communication & Promotion

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final project?

Alberto Agosti: ESTETICA RINA (translation: Rina’s Salon). Rina is my grandmother. She opened this beauty salon in a small town in northern Italy in 1971. She was the first woman to open a business and to get a car by herself in the valley. This magazine is the fantasy of me in a parallel universe running the salon in 2031. The printed publication is born from the idea of helping all those teenagers that are struggling to express and accept themselves, especially their sexuality because of the conservative environment they were born in.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

AA: CSM had definitely thought me how to look at fashion with a critical eye and to be aware of which references are used. Also, that aesthetic for aesthetic’s sake is not acceptable. Always ask yourself “Why?”

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

AA: Challenging, priceless, fast, unforgettable.

JT: What’s next for Alberto?

AA: Alberto wants to become the best art director out there.

 

NAME DAYNA TOHIDI
COURSE BA Fashion Journalism

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final project?

Dayna Tohidi: Plaster is a multi-media online magazine born out of my desire to fill the gap in the Western media landscape for critical fashion journalism aimed at curious and ambitious teenagers. Divided into three categories – Deep Dive, Ones to Watch and Careers 101 – Plaster seeks to inform, inspire and educate while offering an authentic insider perspective on the misleadingly glamorised fashion industry.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

DT: CSM allowed me to explore the good, the bad and the ugly and make up my own opinion about the fashion industry. This made me realise how much I enjoy writing critically about the industry, which I believe we owe to readers and fashion enthusiasts.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

DT: Challenging, rewarding, unpredictable and exciting!

JT: What’s next for Dayna?

DT: I will do my Master's in broadcast journalism at Cardiff University beginning in September, and continue to fulfil my responsibilities as a Women at Dior mentee.

 

NAME AMON KALE
COURSE BA Fashion Design Womenswear

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Amon Kale: Mother, Brother, Sister, Father. My collection is about who you talk to when you are alone.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

AK: CSM has expanded my understanding of creativity, as well as grounded it.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

AK: A lot of work.

JT: What’s next for Amon?

AK: Who knows! I've been hired by CSM to do some research work, hopefully I can get a job, haha.

 

NAME BOY KLOVES
COURSE BA Fashion Design with Marketing

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Boy Kloves: My final collection is called Boy Against the Sea, which is an exploration of queer identities in surf culture. I initially was inspired by Rainer Fassbinder’s Querelle and decided to interpret it through my own lens, taking it back to my roots in California by creating my own queer surf gang.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

BK: I think CSM does a great job at encouraging you to work without the limitations of the fashion industry in your first two years and then in turn offers you the opportunity to ground that imagination within the context of the industry during your placement year. I think for me, I am excited to ride that line and interpret fashion through my own gaze that isn’t bound to traditional constructs dictated by the industry.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

BK: Year one, Lived; Year two, Laughed; Year three, Loved; Year four, Technical Difficulties.

JT: What’s next for Boy?

BK: Real housewives, a day out in the park tanning, a trip back to America, and collection two — in that order.

 

NAME KARINA BONDAREVA
COURSE BA Fashion Print

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Karina Bondareva: A love letter to the working hands of Savile Row. I’ve always been in love with craftsmanship and I want to dedicate my collection to the working hands, which in my opinion technology simply cannot replicate. I even hold belief that the mood of the maker can be seen in a garment as it is being produced. 52,000 matchsticks, 2,500 glue sticks and 4000 clay buttons later- I can sign off my name and stick on the stamp.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

KB: Sewing is not the only way to make clothes! But also a favourite quote of Patrick’s, one of my pattern cutting tutors, has been ingrained in my mind since first year: “Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work very hard.”

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

KB: Experiments, mistakes, lessons, growth!

JT: What’s next for Karina?

KB: Launching my own demi couture label and begin showing at London Fashion Week. Also, start getting some bespoke wear onto that red carpet!

 

NAME MATHILDE SCHAUB
COURSE BA Fashion Design Womenswear

Jeffrey Thomson: What can you tell us about your final collection?

Mathilde Schaub: My collection is called Androgunus, which means ‘men’ and ‘women’ in Latin. It is inspired by Donna Haraway's feminist writing and her Cyborg Manifesto, a work which criticised the identity politics of traditional feminism based on a binary definition of gender. The concept of my collection is to metamorphose the human figure into non-binary characters: mixing the bodies of a man and a woman to make one garment for both. Each character becomes a third sex or a third gender (‘HIR’), where the individual is ‘neither man nor woman’, ‘both man and woman’, or ‘neutral’.

JT: How has CSM changed the way you view fashion and the industry as a whole?

MS: CSM confirmed for me the way I view fashion – between art and fashion without any boundaries.

JT: Can you describe the last four years of your degree in four words?

MS: Work work work work party work work work work party growth work work anxiety work work.

JT: What’s next for Mathilde?

MS: Mathilde is going to graduate and then she deserves some rest – then I will see where this collection will lead me.

 

NAME MARGARITA GALANDINA and FELIX REITZE DE LA HAYE
COURSE Both, BA Fashion Communication & Promotion

 

Creative direction by JEFFREY THOMSON
Photography by GEORGE HUTTON

Jeffrey Thomson and George Hutton are also part of Central Saint Martins’ Class of 2021, both graduating from BA Fashion Communication & Promotion.

 
 
 
Jeffrey Thomson

Jeffrey Thomson (24) is Check-Out’s founder and Editor-in-Chief, a digital consultant to Perfect Magazine and Push Button Generation and former Video Editor of the LOVE Magazine. His clients include everyone from Balmain, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs Beauty to Christian Cowan, Levi’s, and Scarlett Baker whenever she needs a gif made for her monthly newsletter. A FarFetch scholar and CSM graduate, he likes to spend his down-time rewatching episodes of Kath & Kim (”look at meeeeeeeee”).

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