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Published 2 June 2009

Julien MacDonald, OBE, will be among a line-up of leading international figures in fashion to judge at the University of Brighton's fashion show taking place in London.

Joining Julien on the judging panel will be Anne Tyrrell MBE, international design consultant and chair of the British Fashion Council Colleges Council; celebrated designer, Avsh Alom Gur and London-based designer of props and accessories, Fred Butler.

Julien will be presenting the University of Brighton Catwalk Fashion Award. Once a Brighton student himself, Julien graduated from the university in 1996 and then took an MA in Knitwear at The Royal College of Art before setting up his own company which debuted at London Fashion Week.

In 2000, he was appointed as chief designer at Givenchy, replacing Alexander McQueen. He was named as British Designer of the Year in 2001 and has created dresses for Kylie Minogue and Geri Halliwell amongst others. In 2004, his Star range was launched in Debenhams and in 2006 he was awarded an OBE for his services to fashion.

Julien said: "I'm really excited to be involved in graduate fashion programmes. I'm a loyal alumnus and proud to be a former student of the University of Brighton."

Anne Tyrrell will be judging the university's Business Plan Award, sponsored by leading law firm Shadbolt LLP. This category highlights the importance of business studies in the university's fashion and textile courses.

Anne said: "As we enter a challenging economic environment it is imperative that fashion and textiles students not only gain creative skills for a career in fashion but also business acumen to start up their own businesses, as has been the case for a number of Brighton's graduates.

"Creative forces thrive and standout in a recession, where new energy and ideas are required to drive business forward. Therefore I'm looking forward to seeing this year's new crop of talent from Brighton. I also think it is wonderful that Shadbolt LLP sponsor this award."

For the last three seasons, Avsh Alom Gur has managed to combine designing for the relaunched Ossie Clark label with collections under his own name and he will be presenting the university’s Textiles Portfolio Award. He said: "Graduate fashion shows are an extremely important event for graduates' to expose their creations to a wide audience. I'm looking forward to seeing the enthusiasm and excitement that emerge from a new generation of designers."

Fred Butler will be joining Avsh to present the university's Textiles Portfolio Award, she said: "As a graduate of the University of Brighton it's a privilege to come back and to take part in the university's London fashion show. I have taken three student placements from the textiles course at the university and I have found that there is a real sense of creativity and freedom of expression in students who have emerged from Brighton's courses."

This is the fifth year that the university will be taking its independent fashion show to London. The awards ceremony and catwalk show takes place at East Wintergardens on Friday 12 June.

Our Fashion and Textiles with Business Studies graduates will plan to follow in the footsteps of fellow alumni including Barbara Hulanicki, founder of the iconic clothes store Biba, and Keren Craig, one half of fashion duo Marchesa. Recent graduates who are making an impact on the fashion world include Nin Castle, who set up sustainable award-winning fashion label Goodone Clothing, and Emma Sandham-King and Stevi Jelbart founders of Ophelia Fancy with a client list ranging from Fern Britton to The Horrors.

This summer's emerging talents include Catherine Gerard who has secured a placement at prestigious fashion house MaxMara in Italy. Catherine (designer of the outfit shown here), was among just two other student designers to receive the coveted MaxMara Womenswear Design Prize. Also to look out for in the fashion show are Rasmus Rohde's avant-garde men's collection and Annabel Scopes designs based on the Selaron Stairs in Rio de Janeiro.

"We are proud to once again be hosting a fashion show in London and investing in our fashion graduates," said head of the School of Architecture and Design, Dr Catherine Harper. "Our graduates have a good record for employment and in this difficult time we especially want to ensure that they are able to secure their first and most important steps on the career ladder."