This one is pretty obvious. If you are planning on attending the Graduate Fashion Week 2012, you need to have a passion for fashion, it is absolutely essential.

Graduate designers are often pushed to think outside the box and create inspiring, creative and unique pieces. It is therefore essential to have an imagination, to see the potential in the pieces and in their designers.

You never know, you might see a piece of clothing you’ve been dreaming about your entire life or see a collection from a designer that you think is going to be the next big thing. It is essential to bring along a credit card to snap these up before anybody else does! You might have found the next Alexander McQueen at the end of the day!

Tickets are already on sale for the Exhibition as well as the Catwalk events. There are several catwalk events taking place from Sunday 10th June to Wednesday 13th June, tickets are selling fast. The Graduate Fashion Week Exhibition runs on all these days as well. The exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to look at the production and process of work whereas the catwalk is a great way to experience the finished articles and discuss the variations in the work.

Knowing what is hot in fashion and finding out the fashion trends at the moment will help you understand and appreciate the work of the graduate fashion designers at this event.

This goes hand-in-hand with having a passion for fashion; you definitely have to have the look down before you attend any kind of fashion event. Photographers will be just as interested in the guests’ attire as they will be in the catwalk displays. If you don’t want to break the budget, wear a simple high-street outfit and mix it up with a designer piece of jewellery or perhaps a scarf. Here are some more tips on what to wear to a Fashion Show.

There are some universities that always out-perform the rest and it is a good idea to have knowledge of what to expect from them. Universities such as the Edinburgh College of Art are known for their multi-disciplinary approach to design, whereas the University of Southampton is praised annually on their knitwear and textile designs.

Combine all your knowledge of fashion, trends, what to expect and apply this to the Graduate Fashion Week 2012. Background knowledge of past winners and awards is essential to take with you, this way you can predict trends and see where the competition lies.