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Students design British Seaside collections for UK lifestyle brand Joules
Students from our BA (Hons) Printed Textile Design & Surface Pattern and BA (Hons) Textile Practices degrees pitched their creative concepts for a collection of fabrics to the design team from Joules as part of a live brief set by the brand.
Known for their unique use of colour and print, UK-based premium lifestyle brand Joules tasked our students with creating a collection of prints and woven designs for S/S19 inspired by the ‘British Seaside’.
Established in 1989, Joules authentic heritage and strong brand values has made them into one of the most sought-after brands for people looking for a sense of fun and quirky Britishness. You’ve most likely seen them stocked in John Lewis and Next or in one of their own stores - there are over 123 of them in the UK and Republic of Ireland!
Earlier this month, third-year students presented mood boards referencing seasonally appropriate colour palettes, as well as print samples and prototypes to the Joules design team, including Senior Print Designer, Kristina Cartwright.
Kristina said of the visit: “The brief was to create a collection of fabrics for womenswear or homeware inspired by the ‘British Seaside’. It was a true Joules brief that our in-house team worked on for SS19 so the project was very authentic.
“We were really excited to see the interpretations of our mood board and colour palette, and the students didn’t disappoint us! Their work was a very high standard and we were particularly impressed with their colour boards, which showed innovation and creative flair. There was a broad variety of handwriting to choose from, their personalities really shone through in their collections.”
After a long deliberation reviewing all of the student's collections, the team announced the winner of the brief as third-year student Charlotte Venn, securing her a two-week placement at Joules, £400 towards accommodation and travel and a £100 Joules voucher.
“Working on the live brief with Joules has been such a fantastic opportunity,” said Charlotte. “I’m over the moon to have been chosen as their winner and can’t wait to intern with them after I graduate!"
Three students were selected as highly commended runner-ups: Ayesha King, Jess Swinmurn and Libby Dawson.
Ayesha’s collection was inspired by nostalgic seaside activities, leading to abstract seaweed, rockpool and ripple based patterns in soft pastel colours.
“I’ve really enjoyed the Joules brief, the opportunity to be involved with live client briefs while studying has helped me to identify which area of the industry I am most passionate about. Learning key industry skills such as understanding the customer and presenting to a client has been very useful and great practice. The course has been industry-led over the duration of the degree which is amazing and exciting!”
Last month Libby Dawson was a finalist in the prestigious SBID UK awards in the Interior Decoration category, she continues to impress all as a runner-up in the Joules live brief.
“It was a really good experience to design for a company with a particular style but at the same time being able to incorporate my areas of interest into designs. Being chosen as one of the top 4 is really encouraging to know that a well-known brand thinks my work is of an industry standard.”
With designs incorporating British seabirds, runner-up Jessica Swinmurn said: “Being chosen as one of the finalists for the Joules live brief has given me more confidence in how I view my work. Knowing that I am designing work that industry professionals such as Joules consider appropriate for their customers is really beneficial and will help me with my upcoming briefs and final projects.”
