Throughout July, London College of Fashion held a number of free workshops aimed at A Level and BTEC art and design students to help them decide what courses they might enjoy going on to study. Students attending the sessions had the opportunity to learn new techniques, work on projects they could add to their portfolio and find out more about our courses. 

The taster sessions included:

Dawn of the Severed Fingers – BA (Hons) Technical Effects

During this workshop, students were taught the basic skills of life casting to produce their own severed finger. Students learnt different sculpting/moulding techniques using materials such as latex and plaster. 

Body Inside/Body Outside – FdA Fashion Design Technology: Knitwear

Students were introduced to fashion knitwear design using the theme of the internal and external body as inspiration. Students researched the theme to create mood boards before using knit machines to produce their own samples.

Lost and Found – BA (Hons) Fashion Jewellery

Our jewellery workshop introduced students to a range of 3D materials and fashion jewellery techniques and processes, highlighting the creative possibilities and potential or recycled materials.

The judges select their favourite designs.

The winning design: "Truffles and Cream” by Ellie Taylor, Carly Baker and Saorise Dachemin.

Each year, London College of Fashion runs a competition open to Year 9 art and design students from all over the country. This year, our Knitwear Unravelled competition asked students to design and make a knitwear garment out of old and found knitting that could become the latest ‘must have’ fashion item. (more…)

Knitwear creations by Emilia Bairamova. Photo: catwalking.com.

Our knitwear graduates have recently been in the spotlight for their eye-catching creations. Emilia Bairamova‘s knit dresses recently caused a stir at the MA Catwalk Show, while Ioannis Dimitrousis, who graduated from BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear in 2005, had his work showcased online. 

At LCF you can study or specialise in knitwear at several different levels:

• Foundation Degree in Fashion Design Technology: Knitwear
• BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology (any of the 3 pathways: Menswear, Womenswear or Surface Textiles)
• MA Fashion Design and Technology

MA History and Culture of Fashion graduate Kristina Stankovski previously curated an exhibition of tartan-wear called Fabric of a Nation at the National Museum of Costume in Scotland in 2007. The show outlined the origins of tartan and its role in defining Scottish local and national identity, and also showcased the modern-day tartan creations of fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier and Sir Hardy Amies. 

Kristina followed this with an exhibition on Scottish knitwear in 2008 called Hip Knits, and she recently curated Jean Muir: A Fashion Icon at the National Museum of Scotland, which opened on the 7 November 2008 and closes on 15 March 2009.

[Images: Kristina with (left) some early tartan-wear and (right) with a tartan dress by Hardy Amies.] 

Read more about the course.