GREENWICH/HACKNEY
GCSE students from Greenwich and Hackney
learn how to be a star designers and models!

That was the aim of Fashion Futures 1, a summer project for GCSE students from Hackney Schools. In five days in July 05 at the London College of Fashion (LCF), students got the lowdown on fashion design, learning the A-Z of garment creation.

Step one was inspiration - students were taught by fashion professionals how to find inspiration for the Fashion Futures 1 briefs 'Artisan' and 'African Root'. They were taught
how to find and reflect inspiration on a 'moodboard' composed of sketches, fabric swatches and images. Step 2 was practical: the nitty-gritty of creating clothes. This included insider industry tricks: how to pin and drape fabric on mannequins, the art of pattern-cutting and how to use heavy industrial machines.

A fashion make-up artist then gave students a talk on applying make-up for the catwalk, and a fashion stylist advised on the best way to accessorise clothes for the catwalk. This was preparation for the final stage of FF1: a glitzy fashion show where students modelled their own creations on the catwalk, followed by a ceremony where they received awards from the designer Elspeth Gibson.

While the FF1 workshops were in progress, FAD made a visit to the LCF to ask students what they had gained from the project. First off, we talked to Bunmi, 14, a student from Our Lady's Convent, Hackney. Bunmi had made a halterneck top in red silk, and a sweeping skirt with a fish-tail split in deep pink. "The main thing I learned here was how to use the mannequins" Bunmi told FAD. "This taught me how to drape material properly. I'd never used a mannequin before but now I have, I can really see how the clothes will turn out."

Her friend Cynthia, also a student from Our Lady's Convent agreed: "The mannequins really help. What I learned most was how to use bias to stretch the material and also about the warf and weft of fabric."

Lauren, 15, a student from Plumstead Manor School said FFI had helped her improve her sewing skills. "I've made a bodice top with thin straps and a skirt with a fishtail, and found the sewing really good practise. To get it right you really need to sew neatly and properly."

All the students on the two separate five-day courses are currently studying Textiles at GCSE level. They were selected from schools in the Borough of Greenwich including Blackheath Bluecoats, John Roan, Plumstead Manor, St. Paul's, St. Ursula's, Thomas Tallis and Eltham Hill; and from Hackney Borough including Skinners, Haggerston, Clapton Girls, Hackney Free and Our Lady's Convent.