Seven 2026 GSA Fashion Design graduates— Dmytro Kryzhanovski, Nikola Dzidga, Abbie Smith, Yichen Lin, Qiai Wang, Meraud Pengelly, and Leah Churchill— will feature in Scotland Fashion Now at V&A Dundee, a new event celebrating and showcasing the next generation of fashion designers. Scotland Fashion Now, which will include a catwalk show, talks and workshops with industry leaders, takes place 3 – 6 September 2026.
The first in a new annual programme, Scotland Fashion Now will celebrate the distinct impact Scotland has on the global fashion industry through a four-day programme of events. Featuring a catwalk show, talks, displays and workshops from industry leaders, Scotland Fashion Now will bring together a community of world-class talent and ambition at V&A Dundee.
Opening the programme on Thursday 3 September, Scotland Fashion Now: Graduate Showcase ’26 will be an opportunity to see the next generation of designers from Scotland’s leading fashion schools. The hour-long catwalk show will feature selected graduate collections from Edinburgh College of Art, The Glasgow School of Art, Grey’s School of Art and The Design School, Heriot-Watt University. The collections are inspired by a range of themes from inheritance, conflict and memory to the natural landscape and sustainability.
Christie Alexander, Acting Program Leader Under Graduate Fashion Design at The Glasgow School of Art said: “The Glasgow School of Art is delighted to participate in Scotland Fashion Now 2026 at V&A Dundee, showcasing seven outstanding collections from our most recent Fashion Design graduates. These collections reflect the breadth and originality of emerging design talent, demonstrating distinctive approaches that combine personal expression, cultural storytelling and critical engagement with contemporary social and political issues.
“Through innovative reinterpretations of traditional practices, including hand-finished tailoring and knitwear, our graduates exemplify the creativity, craftsmanship and forward-thinking vision that define fashion education at GSA. We are proud to support this important new platform for Scotland’s next generation of designers.”
Scotland Fashion Now: Graduate Showcase ’26 will include a total of 83 looks from 26 designers modelled by talent from Model Team. The show will be followed by a networking reception supported by Mulberry.
On Friday 4 September, V&A Dundee will present a Designer Panel in collaboration with British Fashion Council (BFC), allowing audiences to engage directly with the people shaping British fashion while celebrating Scotland’s vibrant creative community. The event will be the first in BFC’s recently announced National Designer Panel Series, curated by BFC in partnership with ELLE UK as part of their Fashion Britain programme, a landmark national initiative to decentralise fashion and unlock a new era of creativity, participation and growth across the UK.
Inspired by V&A Dundee’s current exhibition Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show, the Scotland Fashion Now programme will explore the variety of creative roles in the fashion industry.
Events include a hair styling masterclass with an award-winning L’Oreal Professionnel stylist, a fashion communications workshop for emerging designers and founders with SALAD Communications and a talk on alternative careers in the fashion industry with Scotland’s LS Productions, the UK’s largest production service company. There will also be an exclusive modelling open casting call with Model Team as they search for fashion’s new face in Scotland’s North-East and a panel discussion on runway representation led by the diversity campaign group I Am More Than.
A display of knitwear designs by graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, part of University of Dundee, will be on display as part of Scotland Fashion Now, celebrating Dundee’s rich history of textile production and innovative knitwear practices.
Mal James, Personal Chair of Fashion Design at Edinburgh College of Art, said: “We are delighted to participate in the fantastic upcoming showcase at V&A Dundee. Scotland Fashion Now: Graduate Showcase ’26 is an incredible opportunity for our selected graduates, celebrating the outstanding talent that continues to emerge from Scotland’s fashion colleges and universities each year.
“This showcase will feature a selection of our graduates, highlighting the diverse range of specialisms nurtured at Edinburgh College of Art – from knitwear and classic tailoring to sustainable innovation and fashion textiles. By further connecting our graduates to a wide industry network, the V&A Dundee Graduate Showcase is crucial in both celebrating their achievements and reinforcing Scotland’s significant presence in the fashion world.”
Troy Nelson, Creative Programmer at V&A Dundee, said: “As Scotland’s design museum, we have the opportunity to bring both public and industry together to celebrate and platform the talent being developed and nurtured in Scotland.
“Scotland plays a distinct role in shaping the global fashion industry, often drawing on a creative identity that blends heritage craft and subversive tradition with an international outlook and a cultural drive to explore and invent. It’s an identity that’s inspired some of the world’s most beloved designers, and the industry continues to support our creative and financial economy in return.
“The level of enthusiasm from our industry partners and collaborators for this event has been so warming, especially in our launch year. Collectively we want to promote the breadth of skills that underpin the fashion industry, and the importance and impact of Scotland’s art schools in developing the next generation of talent.”
Scotland Fashion Now joins a vibrant network of events championing Scotland’s fashion and textile sector including the return of Scotland Re:Design Scottish Fashion Festival this year. The first ever fashion show at V&A Dundee was staged by Scotland Re:Design in 2021. V&A Dundee is also partnered with The Fife Arms Festival of Fashion which will take place in Braemar in November.
Details of the seven GSA Fashion Design graduates 2026 collections can be viewed on the GSA’s digital showcase HERE.
Scotland Fashion Now is on at V&A Dundee from 3 – 6 September 2026. For more information and to book tickets for Scotland Fashion Now at V&A Dundee click HERE
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
Programme Partners:
British Fashion Council, Model Team, Edinburgh College of Art, Gray’s School of Art, The Glasgow School of Art, The Design, School, Heriot-Watt, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, SALAD Communications, VIEVE, L’Oréal Professionnel and Supported by: Mulberry.
About V&A Dundee
V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum. Designed for everyone – firing imaginations and sparking curiosity in design in Scotland and around the world, from the heart of Dundee’s reimagined waterfront. Conceived as a 21st century museum and designed by Kengo Kuma, V&A Dundee is a place of activity and energy, presenting spectacular exhibitions and a range of vibrant design experiences across our building, plaza and city. V&A Dundee brings design from all over the world to Scotland and gives a new voice and platform to Scottish design and designers.
V&A Dundee is part of the V&A family of museums, supported by the Scottish Government and our founding partnership of V&A, Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, Abertay University and Scottish Enterprise.
@vadundee
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines – ranking 8th in the world and 5th in Europe in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning, and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy, delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3,500 students and staff across architecture, design, digital, fine art, and innovation in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1,500 students annually.
