In June, our 21 Fashion Futures finalists took part in an intensive Summer School at the University of East London. With only 5 days to produce their final garments for London Fashion Week, the pressure was on.
The week had its highs and lows, with days filled with excitement, stress and a good few learning curves! The challenge was tough, but with plenty of help on hand from FAD volunteers and each other, the finalists perfected their pattern-cutting skills and learnt to sew on industrial machines. They painted, beaded, quilted, laced, fringed and embroidered until their garments were complete, ready to be showcased at Fashion Scout on Monday 19th September.
We caught up with finalist Georgie Hudd about her Fashion Futures experience so far.
Why did you apply for Fashion Futures?
“I applied for Fashion Futures because I really like textiles and it seemed like a really interesting project. I wanted to further my experience in textiles whilst actually making a garment.”
Tell us about your design and how it was inspired by the brief.
“The brief was to design something inspired by India for the streets of London, so I really liked the architecture of the Indian buildings like the Taj Mahal and I interpreted that into a practical garment.”
How has your week been at our Summer School at UEL?
“My week’s been very interesting, I’ve learnt a lot and everyone’s been really helpful.”
What has Fashion Futures taught you so far?
“It’s taught me a lot of different skills and I actually now feel more comfortable asking for help. Sometimes I’m too stubborn and want to do things myself, when I should really ask for help, so I can go the right way about things. I’ve improved quite a lot; I’ve learnt better ways of doing simple things like making a top wider or adjusting size.”
What challenges do you think young people face when trying to get jobs in the fashion industry?
“I think getting experience is a big obstacle, everyone wants you to have experience and it’s quite competitive, so if you want something you really have to go for it.”
Fashion Futures would not be possible without our sponsors at Natwest and George at Asda.
