Lindy (right) with Anoesjcka Gianotti and Michelle Parekh, the founders of Students of Design
Lindy Staadecker studied BA (Hons) Interior Design at London College of Communication. Along with two of her close friends, she is launching Students of Design, a “highly innovative” shopping site which will champion emerging British fashion and lifestyle designers and students. Students of Design will “create, nurture and promote both new and more established confident, self-sufficient entrepreneurs who will in turn create jobs and prospects for others in the creative industries”.
We spoke with Lindy to find out more about her time at LCC, and how she got the innovative project off the ground…
“I chose to study at London College of Communication because it was the only university that offered graphic and spatial design. I wanted to be in central London and I had always enjoyed the graduate shows across the University of the Arts London campuses. I read the lecturer profiles on the website before applying, and loved the idea of studying under Valerie Mace. She is still a very inspiring woman.
I enjoyed my time at UAL to the absolute fullest. I essentially did two courses; an FdA in Graphic and Spatial Design and the third year of a BA Interior Design. The lectures are what made my university experience – all the staff who tutored me through my dissertation were absolute gold. The staff in the workshops, particularly the photography department, saw me through some stressful project deadlines. I learned so much from them.
I presented the idea for Students of Design as my final major project on the BA Interior Design. I used the round table tutorials and the class presentations to test the idea. It was in essence our very first market research. My tutor, Greg Messiah, encouraged me to hand in a project I was passionate about, he was very supportive despite the project not being what he would traditionally expect. During my FMP I often discussed my project with two of my closest friends. Anoesjcka being a designer and having two companies under her belt, understood the difficulties of starting a design based business. She fell in love with the idea of helping young talent. Neither of my friends do anything in half measure, Michelle suggested we join forces and bring the company to life, which gave us a much needed push. We agreed to form Students of Design, said a nervous ‘cheers’, took a big swig of wine and registered the company that evening. We’ve been committed ever since.”
You can visit the Students of Design website here
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