Supporting Design Students & Grads with Construction & Making Expertise

While the UK produces some of the most innovative and creative design talent in the world those working in industry will often state that many design graduates have very little construction knowledge and understanding. That’s where Fashion-Enter can help, our team of industry experienced tutors can fill in those fundamental gaps and provide hands-on experience using industry level software and machines.

The recent Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF) and TikTok week-long residency at Fashion-Enter’s Tailoring Academy provided the perfect example of this. 58 Class of 2020 graduates spent a week with the team creating their own unique designs for a bespoke line of merchandise for the European TikTok team. The feedback from the graduates was extremely positive:

“I learnt all about 3D CAD design and how to quickly change your patterns, as well as the industry and manufacturing, which is really good to know for the future if I ever start my own brand.” – Leah Holmes from Edinburgh College of Art.

“It’s been a really good week, I think we’ve all learnt so many things, from how to use different machines to simple tips and tricks that the seamstresses have learnt on the job for many years that you don’t pick up at uni. I want my own business eventually so this has given me an indication about how much work goes into each garment.” – Lucy Moore, Leeds Arts University.

GFF Global Ambassador & Fashion Designer Henry Holland added: “Recently I had the pleasure of being involved in a partnership between Fashion-Enter, Graduate Fashion Foundation and TikTok. I felt that the project taught the students invaluable skills that are not part of their university curriculum around production timelines, constructing multiple garments as well as more straightforward pattern cutting and construction and I was so impressed by the team at Fashion-Enter both for their work on this project and other courses that they offer as part of their programme.”

It’s not been an easy final year for our 2020 fashion graduates due to Covid-19 locking down studio facilities from March of this year. According to the GFF and their member colleges and universities out of 1200 fashion design students most had only made 1 – 2 outfits, 6 – 8 outfits being the norm for a graduate collection. One top college reported that their students hadn’t made a single outfit before lockdown began. With Graduate Fashion Week and final year shows cancelled it’s fair to say that 2020 has been a rough year for fashion design graduates.

This is where Fashion-Enter can support and help those students and universities wanting to finish their collections. As with the GFF x TikTok residency we can provide the facilities and expertise that the students desperately need. We have an amazing, fully equipped space in Haringey, north London, where numbers can be limited to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to. Also, as we have done with previous students, we can provide a wide range of fabric, threads and trims at a much lower cost than the usual sources.

Please contact esme@fashion-enter.com if you would like to find out more about the space and service that we can offer.