BA (Hons) Fashion Product and Promotion student Lauren Thompson secured a Futures Fund Opportunity Scholarship to attend the New Designers exhibition held in Islington, London.
The New Designers is the UK's most important exhibition for emerging designers and showcases the fresh-thinking and innovation of emerging designers, providing an essential pipeline of new talent into the UK’s creative industries.
Attending this exhibition provided the final-year student a unique opportunity to exhibit her work and meet industry employers, buyers, the media, trend predictors and the public.
Lauren said: “We had a stand at the event to showcase various areas of work which we have covered during our degree, e.g. garments which we have designed and made, portfolios of work and branding packages.
“I tried to spend the majority of the day on the stand which would sometimes be until 9pm to get the most out of my time there. This meant I was able to give out all of my business cards to potential employers, make useful connections and hear about other events relating to the area of work I want to get into.”
The money she received from the Futures Fund helped her cover travel expenses and accommodation. Lauren was able to go to London for the full week and helped her lecturers unload all their work off the van and also set up the stand.
She explained: “Our tutors offered to drive our work down to London in a van two days before the event started, so it was helpful for them having an extra pair of hands to set up the stand as the rest of the students weren’t arriving in London until Wednesday and Thursday.
“I feel by being there for the full week compared to those who only came for three days was more beneficial for me as I was then able to meet more people and students and be eligible for awards.”
Now that she has finished her course Lauren says the connection she made in London will help her with her career prospects.
“The connections I made will help me try and find a full-time job hopefully in the area I would like or at least get experience through internships,” the 21-year-old said.
She concluded: “I would like to thank those who made it possible for me to have this experience where I was able to meet some amazing people in the industry and students in one of the biggest design exhibitions in the country.”