Class of 2014: Anna Ross

Next up as part of our Class of 2014 series is BA (Hons) Design Realisation (now BA (Hons) Fashion Design: Part-Time) student Anna Ross. Anna will be showing her final collection this evening as part of the BA14 Summit. Here Anna talks about her final collection, her LCF experiences and why she chose to study part-time.

LCF: What have you enjoyed most about studying at LCF?
Anna Ross: The constant support of the staff, and the vast collective knowledge and ideas they can offer.

LCF: Have you won any prizes / been in the media / undertaken work experience?
AR: I won a competition to design the make up bag for Shiseido’s AW14 campaign. This will be realised nationwide in September. I also was selected as one of the winners of the LCFxHyundai campaign, which is running during BA14 season. This involved creating a print for a Hyundai ix35, which was wrapped onto one of eleven cars which are being driven around London during the season.
I chose the part-time course so that I was able to partake in several internships. Over the past four years I have interned with brands such as Jena.Theo, Peter Pilotto, Martin Van Der Horst, to name a few! This has broadly expanded my skills base, as well as given me an insightful, first hand look into the industry.

LCF: What inspires you?
AR: Things which aren’t necessarily inspiring. My collection was based around fundamentally unpleasing aesthetics, things which are conceptually ugly. I tend to find the beautiful very mundane.

LCF: What is most important to you about fashion?
AR: For it to be fun.  It needs to be about self expression.

LCF: How would you sum up your graduate collection?
AT: Large ovoid shapes, a flurry of textured prints and clashing colour. Vivid lamé , tacky fabrics, meeting their match with high end leathers and mohair’s .

LCF: What are your plans for the future? And how do you feel your course will help you?
AT: I keep asking myself this! If you were to ask me at the beginning of the course I would have said with the deepest certainty that I wanted to start my own label. The reality however is that this is an ultimate goal, but will require some groundwork and further experience! I would love to work in trend forecasting, or design initially on a more commercial level. Who knows! In a dream world I’d love to get propositioned after my show and be able to start working doing something I love . That’s the goal, to be happy, and to be passionate! The course has given me a good grounding in all bases of design, which I am really grateful for.

LCF: What advice would you give someone wanting to study for a BA at LCF?
AT: Take advantage of the facilities around you. Talk to the technicians and use your collective practice to it’s fullest extent. Always ask for others opinions, and be open, and adaptable to change .

• Read more about BA14
• The BA14 takeover on the LCF Channel
• Watch the season unfold: #LCFBA14
• BA (Hons) Fashion Design: Part-Time
• Follow Anna on Twitter
• Follow Anna on Instagram
• Visit Anna’s website