Graduates shortlisted for
Gucci-supported design show

Two design graduates from the University for the Creatives Arts (UCA), have been shortlisted for Arts Thread’s Global Design Graduate Show 2023, in collaboration with luxury brand Gucci.

02 Oct 2023

The online showcase is open to all art and design students who graduated in 2022-23 (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate) in any related creative discipline and located anywhere in the world.

BA (Hons) Fashion Design graduate, Bethany Glover, is shortlisted in the fashion, accessories and textiles categoryfor her graduate collection, which pairs her passion for knitwear with her love for playing video games.

With prints and colours influenced by 80s and 90s gaming graphics, every garment was designed for the wearer to feel cosy in when gaming.

She said: “Every pocket fits a handheld gaming console, while design details, such as finger holes, allow you to press buttons and control joy-cons. With no hard fastenings or harsh materials, the clothing is extra comfortable.”

Rachael Plassard, an MA Jewellery graduate, is shortlisted in the photography, fine art and crafts category for her graduate collection, When Memory Fades. Her work combines her love for decoration and ornament with ideas around memory, inspired by her father’s ten-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

“I explore the gradual fade and disruption of memory, the fragility and power of memory, and the complexity of memory,” she said. “Using the acanthus ornament and the frame in my work signifies the importance of protection, collection, and absence. 

“It has been a therapeutic journey, with the act of repetitive making becoming a way of healing...I’ve transitioned into something new, resulting in sentimental pieces, a shrine-like collection that reflects on finding beauty in loss and empowerment in the unknown.”

A panel of independent expert judges, including creatives from Dezeen, Design Museum, Google, Nike, Balmain, Handmade in Britain, Epic Games, will choose their favourite artists and designers, while the public can also vote online on the Global Design Graduate Show website until 11 October. The winners of both the judges’ vote and the public vote will be announced on 16 October.

To learn more about studying art and design at UCA, visit our course pages