London College of Fashion Graduation
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.
My best friend helps me with a wobbly mortarboard |
Juliette came all the way from Paris for the occasion |
My mum and I |
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.
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.
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).
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.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.
“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.
Libby