The Runway Showroom

Also working in the runway showroom now, this is based up in Camden. A great showroom showcasing new designers within men’s and womens wear. Great to see the diversity of what is being produced at the moment, where they get it produced, and how much things cost when your making this in smaller runs etc. Going from internship to paid work has kept me afloat, but great to learn the ropes and then get on with my own things when I can. Also its teaching me so much about how I should go about starting my own work, and learning from other peoples mistakes and best selling points. So have been researching new designers, buyers and learning how to run a shop at the same time, again all great experience and improving my skills within even more areas of the industry.

So that’s me for the mean time, all that I have been doing and will be better at keeping my blog up to date with my designs what’s coming up and more that I learn etc, with more photos, galleries I visit or more comments about talks I go to?

Work Placements

Other placements have included learning more about the interior woven textiles industry and helping Salt UK. I was called in to give an extra pair of hands as the owner of Salt UK was going to America and needed all the samples and portfolios ready, so that was where I came in. Was great to see the array of fabrics again they have developed over the last 10 years or so. Also learning how they do their finishing, what they use, and learning about how long this all takes. They jumping into more of the fashion and accessories industry I helped Margo Selby out in the production studio. This was a great set up, the shop on the ground floor and the production going on in the basement. I was helping with trimmings, pattern cutting, packing up boxes for orders etc. Again a great chance to see how a different company works, and how they do things. Also interesting to see and meet ore people in the same boat as me, all doing placements to learn more and fill up their C.V’s, but also a little bit sad as the majority of people working their were actually on placements, so all either not being paid or just the travel expenses, and this is how companies are running their production. I understand we are in a recession and that companies do not have the budget but the thoughts always go through our minds that … yes we are learning so much… but how can we keep doing this for so long and not be paid for it. I know we talk about the developing worlds and all the work done to help poverty and increase their minimum wages and work ethics etc, and I know this is in another league, but when you asking so many people to work for free to make your products you have to ask the question ……..

Dashing Tweed

After my research and portfolio work from Chelsea and my involvement with tartans, I decided to look into English woven pieces and came across dashing tweeds, which I actually looked up for my own research. So contacted them, went to meet Guy Hills and Kirsty McDougal who were really really lovely, after a quick chat darted off to another room to help style some jackets for some photos they were taking for some promotional work they had, and possibly selvedge magazine. So after that I then let them know any days I was free and used my time effectively helping Dashing Tweed with anything then needed. From setting up a loom, organising samples into bunches, making up promotional pieces for window display, helping to organise accounts and invoices etc. I’m still currently helping them out, and learning so much, all about how a company is set up, learning from their developments and what you have to do to become successful and all the hard work that goes into it. Has been wonderful to see the progression in fabrics they have achieved over the last 5 years, and would be great to see myself doing this kind of thing in the future.

updates from the past couple of months...

Placements work updates…

So… it has been a while again since I have been on here, so wanted to update you all on what I have been doing learning and experiencing.

After returning from India, in mad confusion of trying to find jobs, which we all know aren’t out there… I then decided that thee best thing to do was jump into the pool or work placements, learn as much from different areas of the industry. To work out where I want go and what I want to do!

So first stop Brighton! I started a placement for a company called Ciel – which I was inspired to contact after their beaming record of sustainable production, involvement with the soil association, and ethical work done in Peru. But the glamorous shades of the fashion industry were quickly removed when I was thrown into packing up boxes for the recent delivery of garments that had to be shipped all over the world. Learning so much about the struggle with lead times, how the invoicing worked, and a general over view of how the company works etc. Had some creative work as well, which included trying to design mailers and parts of the promotional work on the website which was fun, and good to see different peoples ways of working. I was there for approx 3 weeks, but decided that maybe this wasn’t the best place to gather more experience, as my passion for weave was kicking in, so decided to look for more placements to learn more within different areas of the industry.