Tell me about your background and what you hope to do in the future.
I was bought up in a small village in Hertfordshire and since I can remember, all I have wanted to do is be a designer. The first step I took to fulfil my ambition was to enrol in an art Foundation course and after that I decided to concentrate on fashion and took a handcraft tailoring course at London College of Fashion. It was really important for me to have a comprehensive skill set to build on, and learning tailoring to the standards of Savile Row tailors gave me that. After passing the handcraft course with distinction, I went on to study a BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology course at LCF. I graduated with a 2:1 and went straight on to work here at John Lewis.
How did you get this placement?
For the last year, John Lewis has taken on two graduates from the London College of Fashion for a year-long placement. The company works with the college to provide a design brief to final year students, and those who present the most impressive designs are offered a place on the scheme. As part of this process designers fromthe retailer met us throughout the project to provide us with feedback and points to work on. I did a lot of background research and even contacted the archive department who kindly sent through imagery which inspired me and was able to incorporate in to my project. In terms of my work, I thought hard about balancing John Lewis' desire for a creative approach with the commercial reality of the business. Ultimately, I guess my work was inspiring for the company, but also met its vision the closest.
Explain what you have been doing as part of your year-long placement.
The placement has allowed me to experience every part of the fashion design process, from working with the buying team, to gaining insight into customers' preferences, brainstorming and presenting designs back to the team. Importantly, I have also built up the technical skills that are essential for a career in fashion, such as learning how to operate the computer-aided design (CAD) programmes — a skill I didn't previously have but very much needed as it is essential knowledge for the fashion industry.
For the past 10 months, I have been lucky enough to work through a fashion season, autumn/winter 2010, which is due to hit shops in the next few weeks, and I'm now working on spring/summer 2011. I've been involved in some exciting projects such as developing the men's department trend process which I was involved in right from the beginning. I was given more responsibility on the project and had a good degree of ownership, which has been a great boost to my confidence. What I really love, and the reason I took a career route in fashion design, is working in the studio, designing and coming up with new ideas with the team and my mentors. We have built a really good working relationship and I am learning so much by being around the other designers. It's a real reward to know that many of my designs will get professionally made and sold in shops — something you just don't get to experience in college. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of them on sale. The placement was an opportunity that I jumped at immediately as it's very difficult to get a year's work experience where you get this level of involvement and you are still being paid.
What duties, skills and experience have you gained?
Working in a commercial environment has been a real eye-opener for me. I am working under completely different restrictions than I did before. At college you have as much freedom as you want in terms of design because you are not selling the product so you have no idea who your customer is or whether it's affordable. One of the hardest things is training yourself to design to a customer profile. For me, it's been a really good education on how to run a fashion business — whether it's on the high street or for a top-end designer; you can apply these core rules anywhere.
How has this prepared you for your future career/plans?
As for the future, I would eventually like to have my own label so I have the freedom to design and manufacture the way I want. But in the meantime, I'd be quite happy if John Lewis kept me on here. It's a tough market out there; I know people who have worked for over a year at a company and are only getting paid travel expenses. There are lots of graduates who have just come out of university so the competition for jobs is high — especially in such a specialised area. However, with a placement under my belt, I hope I will have the edge over other candidates.
As well as the unbeatable experience, I have also been given a mentor, not only to help me in my day to day role, but to act as a point of contact throughout my career. I will definitely be keeping in touch with them to talk through any opportunities that come along.
Do you have any tips for others wanting to do something similar?
I think enthusiasm goes a long way when you're on a graduate scheme. People who show they are willing and open to different experiences are more likely to enjoy the work and progress. It's also good to take up as many opportunities as possible, as it is only through hands-on experience that you will really be able to impress future employees.
Check out John's work here.
