Global Talent: Fashion Design - Jan 2023 update
Dear Fashion Folks,
Happy New Year!
I have a little update on your discipline that I would like to share.
So, you know well by now that when you apply for your endorsement, you put together recommendation letters and up to 10 evidence in support, right? And for Fashion majors, the rules are slightly different. Allow me to recap these for you below:
media recognition
sponsorship/ support from BFC, Fashion East, the Sarabande Foundation, Centre for Fashion Enterprise, or similar in another country
One or more orders of order from UK or international luxury retailers and boutiques OR
Notable industry recognition
The name of the game here is to provide at least 2 out of these 4 types of evidence. And this blog post is on the first type, media recognition.
The immigration rules para.GTE 3.4. require "(a) at least 2 examples of recent UK or international media recognition for their individual work”
This is in sharp contrast to the requirements for other ‘art’ candidates (e.g. visual artists or musician) who are being endorsed by ACE itself. For these disciplines, applying under exceptional promise, applicants may provide media recognition "for their work as an individual or as a named member of a group or as a contributor” (GTE3.3).
Do you see the difference? In practice, it you are struggling to find a relevant article or media piece which only deals with your work and specifically names you, but you were part of a well-reviewed collaboration or a project, then you may still use that article as media recognition as long as you could provide a letter of support from the project lead confirming your contribution. For fashion design applicants, I’m afraid this is not possible. You must be mentioned by your name and your own work/ achievement (whether it was done under employment or in collaboration with someone) and must be discussed in its totality.
If you have been following my blogs from the past few years, you’ll know that Fashion Design was one of the disciplines expressly excluded from Global Talent. The BFC and the Home Office have only come to an agreement to include Fashion in July 2018. Reading between the lines, there may have been some reluctance or at least some difficulty (on the part of the ACE or the Home Office) in readily including Fashion Designers under Global Talent. When you consider that Graphic Design, Product Design and other “Design work that is not in a Visual Arts context” are still on the Ineligible Disciplines list (on the ACE website), I do sense a keenness to distinguish Fashion Design and in doing so, the entry threshold to being endorsed under this discipline is deliberately kept slightly more elevated than say Visual Arts or Architects Exceptional Promise candidates.
But it’s not all bad news for you. under media recognition, a much more generous types of evidence is allowed, including social media posts from a well known fashion house or an eminent individual within fashion (Anna Wintour? well, someone like that I guess, because she doesn't seem to have an instagram account). You could also use notable injury recognition (which in practice could basically be a recommendation letter style from an eminent person or a fashion house who has worked with you and speak highly of you) or at least 1 order of your design by a luxury retail brand or a boutique. I mean, it sounds eminently possible to me.
And of course, if you want to tap into this route and find out if you might be eligible, or if you would simply like to prepare it together, then do get in touch. I would be only too happy to assist!