We caught up with former Fashion students Ben Mayes and Lydia Jackson in lock down to see what they’ve been up to since leaving college a few years ago. Both Ben and Lydia have achieved some amazing things since becoming New College Stamford Fashion Alumni and we were very excited to catch up with them and find out all about it!
After leaving college in 2016 Lydia’s work has featured in magazines such as VOGUE, she’s studied in Hong Kong and graduated university with a first class honours after being awarded a scholarship in her second year.
Describing her time at college she said, “They embraced uniqueness; it was a time that really allowed me to explore myself as a designer. I learnt how to manage my own work and use my creative skill set to its full potential. The college provided the guidance, knowledge and resources that made me feel confident when moving to my next step”
“For me, the 2 years I spent at college were the most important in my career as a designer so far. I’ve always had a passion for more creative subjects and taking that leap from school and focussing all my skills and energy on a course I loved really benefited me later on in life. I can't thank Stamford College enough for everything they helped me achieve.”
During her time at New College Stamford Lydia mentioned a number of inspiring trips and visits that were as she describes “experiences I’ll never forget” including the annual residential to New York, visits to the V&A and an Alexander McQueen Exhibition.
One year later in 2017, Ben followed Lydia’s footsteps and left college heading for another exciting career in the Fashion industry. He progressed to study Costume Design at renowned Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
He said “The best thing about the fashion course was the freedom it gave me to discover myself as an artist. I was given the opportunity to experiment with a variety of mediums in the fashion industry which offered me a greater choice when thinking about which career path I wanted to take”.
Students studying any Creative Arts subject such as Fashion will also have the opportunity to explore aspects of Photography, Art, Graphic Design and even life drawing to give students a well- rounded portfolio of design to display at university and interviews in future.
Ben said “I wanted to study in a place where I could learn and further my craft. New College Stamford gave me exactly that and more! In comparison to other Fashion courses I’d researched, here I had the opportunity to not only learn fashion but other artistic subjects as well which have really helped me build a career within this professional industry today.”
Lydia gave some fantastic advice to students who may be thinking about starting a career in Fashion and considering applying for the course themselves.
