I was keen to pursue a career in the fashion industry but I appreciate it can be highly competitive, so I wanted a course that combined practical skills development with real-world experience. The Fashion Design and Technology degree offers this through its course content and the opportunity to undertake an industry placement. I was pleased to secure placements at Victoria Beckham Ltd as a Product Development Intern and Varley Clothing as an Activewear Design Intern.

My placement responsibilities in Victoria Beckham Ltd included assisting with technical packs, supporting communication between factories and ateliers, liaising with suppliers during production and managing colour matching across seasonal collections for fashion shows. This role allowed me to apply my academic knowledge in a professional setting and strengthened my skills in Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.  I also gained a clearer understanding of how software is used in professional environments to streamline processes.

My second placement at Varley Clothing gave me fantastic insight in new and emerging technologies including incorporating AI in design and development processes, delving deeper into short cuts and mastering Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as using communication platform technologies to send design packs to suppliers. I gained a wider view of designing for specific brand aesthetics whilst keeping function and new aesthetic trends in mind.