National (Extended) Diploma Fashion, Clothing & Textile Design

A student’s perspective: "The facilities are really good—there’s loads and loads of machines everywhere, and the facilities are better even than universities in London. The tutors are really enthusiastic, and get involved with everything that you’re doing and help you to become successful. In the first year, we probably had more classes than we do now, but I still really enjoy it and I stay at the College until about 6 o’clock every night because it’s so relaxed and you can listen to your music. It’s not like school! Some colleges are like school, but this is really good. I entered a competition: I just had to show my work and what I could do. Then Mary Portas chose six finalists—and then four of the six—to staff? a store in York, and to be on the TV programme. I’ve now started my own range and I sell things in shops in Leeds, Nottingham, York… If I’d gone anywhere else I might not have had the opportunity to do it, because the tutors have been really helpful."

Mary

Benson

A

tutor’s

perspective

: "The course is a broad training to help students establish their career in fashion and textiles. We develop a wide range of skills—drawing, design, pattern-cutting, sewing, computer-aided design… and we integrate all those skills into a variety of design projects. The course is structured so that we’re developing all of the necessary skills in the first year, with modules which run alongside one another. So the students might be learning to sew on an industrial machine, doing design work using CAD workstations, life-drawing, pattern-cutting, and developing all the thinking skills through conceptual studies. In year two, we distil all those skills and apply them on integrated projects, which might include live competitions or live briefs, to make it all a bit more real-world. We like to support students with outside ventures—with modelling and fashion shows. We’ve had students involved in a pop-up shop in Leeds… two of them entered the Mary Queen of Shops competition, and both got down to the final six—one even got down to the last four. Successful art & design students are those who think outside the box. So students like Mary are able to be innovative—take projects in new directions, and surprise us with the end results. That’s really the course philosophy. We have a core of skills that we teach, we’ve got a variety of projects that students work on, and we’re supportive of students who want to do additional things such as work experience and live competitions."
Mike Jackson