Lauren George

What made you want to apply to your course and to Leeds?

The University of Leeds’ Fashion Course had a balance of business and design that I felt covered everything I wanted to continue studying, and The University itself has a good reputation for supporting their students and an industry based curriculum. There is also the opportunity to network whilst at the university which is crucial to integrating into business environments and finding work opportunities, and industry experience, which encouraged me to apply to the course. 

Creatively, the photography facilities on campus support my need to gain more in-studio experience with on hand support from staff which further encouraged me to choose to study here. I also wanted to meet a community of creatives within the university to share ideas with and learn from, which so far has helped me a lot with seeing different perspectives in my own work. 

The campus itself was also a huge selling point for me as it’s close to the city centre without feeling like you're in the middle of a city.

What aspects of the course do you enjoy the most?

I’m passionate about changing the way people view and consume clothing, which requires a lot of research about consumer behaviour and the structure of the fashion industry’s structure. 

The university has provided the resources and platform for me to research into this area of study, which has streamlined my ability to get to the bottom of my research questions and projects faster. The curriculum is also very industry focussed so I can see how my studies will benefit me in a professional environment, which is reassuring when considering work post university. I’m able to contextualise my work from a global perspective and understand the interconnected nature of the fashion industry, which has got me thinking about different global markets and different cultural understandings of fashion.

I have always enjoyed photography and creating images with a narrative, whether it be for editorial purposes or commercial purposes, which has driven me to fashion photography and fashion marketing. Although I've not started the photography module, the other modules on this course allow me to integrate my creative direction 
into the projects so I’ve got the opportunity to express my ideas in various visual mediums digitally and tangibly.

What is it that makes you passionate about your area of study?

Clothes are a visual medium of self-expression, so as my background is in studying psychology, I enjoy looking into the behavioural psychology behind clothing choices, and what encourages people to buy clothes; this drives me forward in the research aspect of my studies. 

Whilst studying here, being able to access facilities that support my creativity has been massively rewarding and I’ve been able to build on ideas that I’ve always wanted to bring to life, but haven’t had the time or resources to prior.

Through the modules on the course, I’ve been able to build on skills in fashion design, with access to design studios, and design technicians on hand to help with every step of clothing design and making garments. Having this support to try new ideas has massively boosted my confidence as I’ve now got a much wider understanding of different aspects of the fashion lifecycle process and garment considerations than I had prior, changing the way how I myself see clothes.

This course combines such a vast array of topics from fashion design, to business development, to marketing and photography which means no day is ever the same. Being constantly stimulated by new theories, skills and knowledge is what keeps me engaged and passionate about this Industry as I find my place amongst it.

How do you think the skills and knowledge you’ve developed at Leeds will help with your career plans? 

I’ve built up an understanding of the fashion industry from both a business-orientated and creative perspective, which I feel gives me a unique understanding of fashion business. 

The modules have been curated to cover all bases, and with my aspirations to go into fashion buying, I feel my understanding of consumer behaviour combined with my understanding of trend forecasting and different global market have equipped me to start confidently. The skills I’ve learnt when researching and contextualising said research has also helped me in structuring essays, reports, and projects professionally that will help me in a working environment.

The technical skills I’ve learnt when bringing creative ideas to life have helped me in actualising my creative direction as I know how to execute ideas that I come up with, which again are crucial if I go down the marketing, or photography route.

What advice would you give to incoming students who are considering a Masters at Leeds?

Make sure that if you are studying a Masters at Leeds, you have a work life balance if you are having to work alongside your studies, because the intensive nature of the course means you’ll have to devote a lot of your time to it. 

Also, spending time studying on campus outside of contact hours is also a lot more rewarding than studying at home so you can separate university and relaxing. It’s important to put yourself first so you don’t burn out.