FASHION:They may still be students, but there's nothing amateurish about these designs, from courses in Limerick and Dublin, writes DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN
MAY IS THE MONTH when the darling buds of fashion are hard at their sewing machines, completing their end-of-year collections. The Limerick School of Art Design graduate fashion show last Thursday was the first to kick off and will be followed by the National College of Art Design show next Saturday, in Dublin’s CHQ building. On May 27th, Griffith College will showcase its fledgling second years, who have been tackling tailoring and draping – two central themes of the recent autumn/winter Prêt-à-Porter in Paris – as part of their course.
Limerick’s 21 graduate students have not only wide and varied inspiration, but their work placements have taken them to places as far away as India and Tokyo. “What we sent out were students,” says Patricia Keilthy, joint course leader, “and what we got back are young professionals.” The experience of seeing the evolution and conclusion of a commercial collection makes them come face to face with the many facets of their chosen industry, she says. A student who had a placement with Vivienne Westwood and Hardy Amies, for example, is now totally focused on quality finish and innovative pattern cutting. “When students are tested, they come back very clear in their mind,” she says. Notable this year is an increased awareness of sustainability in fashion, in recycling and reconstructing fabrics. LSAD has secured an AIB Business Development Award worth €2,500 for a student who will have access to an advisory panel of business experts for a year.
At NCAD, 23 textile (print, weave and embroidery) students are graduating this year, along with 15 fashion students, and three of the textile students are participating in the fashion show. Linda Byrne, fashion tutor, is enthusiastic about this year’s crop, whom she describes as: “a pleasure to teach, very diverse with a fantastic work ethic”. One of her students, Joanne Power, won the €10,000 Persil award, and a work placement in Marks Spencer, with a collection inspired by old pattern books from the 19th century.
Students this year, according to Byrne, have a huge interest in construction and tailoring and “a lot are looking back at vintage clothing, but are also inspired by new materials.” Many of the graduates are thinking ahead and have opted for post-graduate studies as a way of staying in college and getting more experience and skills.
At Griffith College, course director Jane Leavy set her second-year students the challenge of designing a mini collection, choosing a theme to demonstrate their signature look, along with developing a brand identity, a test combining design and commercial skills using CAD systems and Lectra software. One student who forsook a career as a dancer found the mastery of technology the biggest difficulty, but is determined to set up on his own and admires designers such as Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan, “because they push boundaries”.
You have to admire their spirit and optimism in these difficult times. But as Patricia Keilthy says: “fashion is something that if you don’t do it, you’ll be unhappy being a dentist. You have to do it and that is the only reason to do it – there’s too much work and stress in this industry. Fashion means business and that is the focus this year.”