Annual Report 2012 - Highbury College

Nicole Ford
BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Fashion & Clothing
Textiles was one of my favourite subjects at school. I’ve wanted to work in fashion
ever since. Initially, I studied A Levels at another college before I discovered I
could learn about fashion and clothing at Highbury.
I loved my Highbury course. It was really intense and hands-on, and included
research, sketching, sewing - all the technical aspects of making clothes. One of
the best things about the course was the end-of-term fashion show where I
displayed a collection I created based on the symbols in tarot cards.
At this show I was approached by a student who’d left Highbury the year before.
She said she really liked my designs and wanted my clothes to feature in the
Demi-Couture section of the first Southsea Fashion Week, which she was
organising. I’d been blogging about the fashion week already so I was really happy
to get involved.
I’d just moved to London to study fashion at the University of East London, but all
of the outfits were made during my time at College. Highbury is where I learnt
how to make clothes. If I hadn't gone to Highbury, I wouldn't have been exhibiting
my work.
I really enjoyed Southsea Fashion Week - it was a good learning experience. So
I was pleased when I got a call from my teacher at Highbury, asking if I wanted to
exhibit my work at the national finals of WorldSkills UK at the Birmingham NEC.
I jumped at the chance - that’s three shows I’ve done already!
Studying at Highbury developed my practical skills, which has given me a head
start at university. And my Highbury teachers gave me the confidence to pursue a
career in fashion, to go out and do it. They pushed me, made me work harder
than I wanted to sometimes, but convinced me to believe in myself.