Saturday 20 July 2013

Goodbye London College of Fashion

London College of Fashion Graduation

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One happy graduate


It started with pink and ended with pink. On Tuesday I graduated with a First Class Honours in Fashion Journalism from the London College of Fashion. I spent the day in a bright pink dress to match the pink hood and trim on my gown. A mortarboard and smile were my accessories. 

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My best friend helps me with a wobbly mortarboard

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Juliette came all the way from Paris for the occasion


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My mum and I

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Practising my smile for when I collect my degree

During the ceremony designer Oswald Boateng was presented with an honourary degree. He took to the stage and gave a speech that I will always remember: “Lots of people ask me how you get to my position. Well the dedication that you have all put into completing your degrees is the answer. Carry that with you and it will be you on this stage.”


Boateng’s words inspired me, but so did seeing my friends and peers take to the platform to collect their degrees. As I collected mine I thought back over my three years at university.

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My final day at the London College of Fashion




Libby's London College of Fashion Highlights

LONDON

Studying at the London College of Fashion gave me the opportunity to move to one of the best cities in the world. Being a student in the capital was an incredible experience. The city that once daunted me is now the place that I call home.

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My first room in London, Hackney 2010




Lights, camera, action

I have always wanted to be a writer, but when it came to the second year of my degree I decided to specialise in broadcast journalism. Before university I had never picked up a video camera, but I was (and still am) intrigued by the changes taking place in journalism.  With even traditional print publications developing their online content and working with moving image, I wanted to broaden my skills. I have now filmed, edited and presented a broad range of subjects (including a film about a city farm, a documentary about clothing issues faced post-mastectomy, and my final project film about unpaid internships in the fashion industry). 

Libby filmingedited

 New York New York

During my second year at university I went to New York to interview David Jay, photographer behind The Scar Project. Travelling by myself and meeting such interesting people gave me a huge amount of confidence and taught me that distance isn't an insurmountable barrier.

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Project P&G

One of my favourite units on my degree was an industry project, in which we did research for corporate client Procter and Gamble. Working on a ‘live’ project was a great experience. I particularly enjoyed presenting our findings to P&G at Burlington House. 


3 is the magic number

My third year at university was by far my favourite. It was also the most challenging, but working on an individual project with which I had such a strong connection (my final year was spent investigating unpaid internships in the fashion industry) drove me to produce work that I am proud of. The flexible timetable of the final year allowed me to work part time at Intern Aware, a great learning process that had me giving talks at universites and Parliament.
Third year also meant a huge amount of one on one support from staff. 

The Observer


“Things do not change, we change” (said Henry Thoreau)

After three years of studying I have changed in more ways than I could have imagined before starting my degree. Although I am still interested in fashion (why people wear what they wear fascinates me), I have opened my eyes to other interests and options. I have discovered broadcast journalism, which I love. I have spoken out about the immoral use of unpaid labour and become a stronger person for it. But despite all these changes and my career shift away from fashion, I am still glad I studied at the London College of Fashion.

When I was a school student living in my hometown of Gillingham and tearing pages from Vogue, I dreamt of studying at the London College of Fashion. I am proud for following through the dream I had when I was 16, but also for shaping my experience at university in such a way to fit new dreams too.

And in the end it was probably fate that I study at the London College of Fashion. The college colour is pink. 

Day 4, 2

Libby

Friday 19 July 2013

Trulli Scrumptious



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A week in the sunshine and I'm still as pale as a potato
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to go on holiday with my good friends, staying in a Trulli in Puglia, Italy.

The Trulli houses remind me of a Hobbit home or a beehive. Being 5ft4 was suddenly a blessing when faced with low stone ceilings.
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On a visit to a local town we stumbled across this prize winning cake displayed proudly in a shop window.
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With white-washed walls and blue skies we could have been in Greece rather than Italy, although there were the constant reminders dotted around the town...
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... like this Italian flag...

...and the Italian wedding we stumbled across in a large old church.
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Being in Italy the holiday involved much eating (and drinking). Pizza and pasta and jugs of wine, but also pastries filled with custard and jam from the local pasticceria.
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Being lucky enough to have our own pool at the villa, many an evening was spent sipping prosecco by the poolside.
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Perhaps the tasty treat I miss most of all is the great slabs of watermelon that would dribble pink juice down to your elbows as you ate.
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All in all a Trulli scrumptious holiday.

Libby