Fashion Futures 2013, graduating from BA (Hons) Fashion, UCA Epsom
After designing a collection inspired by her own identity and heritage, Tihara Smith is due to graduate from UCA Epsom with a BA in Fashion this year. ‘The starting point for my collection was the arrival of the Empire Windrush to Britain in 1948, which carried West Indian immigrants to the UK,’ Tihara explains, running us through the story behind her final pieces. ‘The arrival of the Empire Windrush marked the beginning of mass immigration of Caribbean people to the UK, my Granddad being one of them. His personal experiences of arriving in the UK from St Lucia, and seeing his photographs documenting his experiences, are key sources of inspiration for this collection.’
Tihara took part in FAD Fashion Futures back in 2013 and felt the course gave her that vital introduction of what it’s like to study fashion. ‘I was able to learn about the whole design process,’ she continues. ‘The best part was the opportunity to have my work shown at London Fashion Week. That gave me the confidence to apply to university and study fashion design.’
While she loved her time at UCA, it wasn’t her first university of choice and took the brave but positive decision to switch where she was studying. ‘I had a difficult university experience at first,’ she explains. ‘I first went to a university that didn’t suit me which resulted in me transferring to UCA. Luckily I had the support of the FAD team, who gave me advice and helped me with the process. I learnt a lot from it, and it inspired me to start a blog, Tizz Tazz, to help other students studying fashion.’
On graduating, Tihara hopes to continue gaining experience within fashion, be that through internships or work, and wants to carry on creating content for Tizz Tazz. With plans to launch her own business even further down the line, she advises those taking part in FAD today to ‘make sure you take the time to really enjoy the experience, ask lots of questions and take advantage of all the great opportunities FAD offers.’
