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 Taja Boodie about her Fashion Futures experience so far.
Why did you apply for Fashion Futures?
“I applied because I think I want to explore more areas of fashion like pattern cutting and making.”
Tell us about your design and how it was inspired by the brief.
“My top is quite floaty and is inspired by the shapes of the plants we saw at the V&A. My grandma was Indian and in pictures I see her wearing lots of flowy clothes, so I took inspiration from that.”
What has Fashion Futures taught you so far?
“Fashion Futures has taught me that I can sew and to be more patient! It’s shown me that I can do things if I put my mind to it, it’s taught me persistence and resilience.”
What’s next for you?
“In 5 years time I’ll hopefully have travelled a bit and tried lots of different courses. I think I want to do a foundation and then intern at some companies.”
What challenges do you think young people face when trying to get jobs in the fashion industry?
“I think it’s difficult if you don’t know people in the industry. Also, when you try and get a job you need loads of work experience, but then that work experience might be unpaid so you can’t afford to do it.”
Fashion Futures would not be possible without our sponsors at Natwest and George at Asda.
