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UK Fashion & Textile Association's MADE IT Masterclass comes to Plymouth College of Art
Wednesday, 9 December, 2020 — Students from our fashion and textiles programmes recently took part in an online masterclass from UKFT on production and sourcing in the fashion industry, gaining valuable industry insights.
<p dir="ltr">Plymouth College of Art recently welcomed the team from the <a href="https://www.ukft.org/">UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT)</a> to deliver a virtual masterclass on production and sourcing for our fashion, textiles and costume students.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The UKFT is the biggest network for fashion and textile companies in the UK, and was created to bring together designers, manufacturers, suppliers, agents and retailers to promote their businesses and the fashion and textiles industry, both in the UK and throughout the world. </p>
<p dir="ltr">From offering one to one business support, to helping UK manufacturing to grow, the UKFT are champions of all UK textile and fashion education, manufacture, supply, marketing, retail and aftercare. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The workshop, which took place as an online lecture with a Q&A session, was part of the UKFT’s <a href="https://www.ukft.org/manufacturing/made-it/">MADE IT</a> initiative, promoting the importance of production and sourcing within a rounded fashion education, and highlighting the breadth of job opportunities across the fashion supply chain. Developed in response to widespread industry demand to enrich the production and sourcing knowledge of our graduates, and to illustrate the wealth of technical and creative roles available throughout the supply chain, as part of MADE IT, the UKFT will also be offering one of our students a fully financially supported internship opportunity within a fashion production environment in the UK.<br /></p>
Plymouth College of Art BA (Hons) Fashion student Megan Roberts' final collection on the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week 2020. Image credit: Graduate Fashion Foundation
“I was blown away by the amount of knowledge and experience Daliah had. The masterclass has changed the way I think about the fashion industry...”
Bridget Bimha, second year BA (Hons) Fashion student
<p dir="ltr">The masterclass was delivered by Daliah Simble-Hearn, a product lifecycle management consultant with more than 25 years of experience working with brands including Jigsaw, Roland Mouret, Chinti and Parker, Monsoon, Sophie Webster, Frost French, Ben Sherman, Hunter and Liberty.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Daliah said, “This masterclass gives students an in-depth understanding of production and sourcing for the fashion and textiles industry, from a global perspective and with a closer focus on UK sourcing - [it is] the tool kit you need to start your own brand, or enter the fashion industry.”</p>
Work by Leona Robertson for our 2019 Degree Shows. Photograph by Sarah Packer.
<p dir="ltr">Heather Martin, Plymouth College of Art Senior Lecturer & Subject Leader for BA (Hons) Fashion Design said, “The UKFT masterclass prepares students with valuable insight of the industry beyond their studies. With this new production and sourcing knowledge they have gained a better understanding of the wealth of technical and creative roles available throughout the supply chain.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Made in the UK manufacturing makes sense for both luxury and high street design. A workshop like this embeds the importance of manufacturing locally, and luckily our students have Plymouth based fashion and textiles sampling studio <a href="https://www.makershq.co.uk/">Makers HQ</a> right on their doorstep!”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Second year BA (Hons) Fashion student Bridget Bimha attended the workshop and said, “I was blown away by the amount of knowledge and experience Daliah had. The masterclass has changed the way I think about the fashion industry, and has helped me to make some changes to my own business. I came to study fashion from the comfort of my lounge, where I just used to make things for my family and friends, until word got out and an opportunity arose for me to have my own place, as well as study at the same time; so I am learning all about the fashion industry from scratch. My tutors are brilliant, and I thank them for opening up opportunities for me to hear from and learn from people who are making a difference out in the industry.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">MADE IT is a three-year project, with four other UK universities taking part alongside Plymouth College of Art for the 2020-21 academic year.</p>