Class of 2016: BA (Hons) Fashion Media (Part time)

LCF’s part time Fashion Media course explores all aspects of the media from journalism to social media and film and the students combine their studies with work in industry.

LCF News spoke to two students from the BA (Hons) Fashion Media (Part time) Class of 2016 – Katharina Geissler-Evans and Alice Davidson – to find out about their experience on the course, their final projects and their top tips for future students.

heiter magazine. Photography: Meara Kallista Morse. Art Director & Stylist: Katharina Geissler-Evans

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself…

Katharina: I left a teaching job in Austria for a fashion internship in New York six years ago. It felt risky back then but I am so glad I took that step – I have not looked back since.

Alice: I work part time in analysing Perinatal MRI data at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Talk us through your final project…

Katharina: My final project is a quarterly lifestyle print publication called heiter magazine. heiter is a bilingual magazine, and the first of its kind for the English and German market. It focuses on enjoying life, culture and art – the approach is nostalgic and traditional, but with a modern twist. ‘Heiter’ is the German word for cheerful and that is exactly what its content should communicate. Over the last few months I’ve worked with over 20 contributors from around the world, to produce the “the floral issue”.

Alice: My final piece of work is an ethical design project that centres around the normalised waste of the fashion industry. Appalled by the social and environmental damage wrought in the name of fashion, I hope to educate consumers with my art and performance. The mixed media installation is titled HASTE from the phrase, “haste makes waste”.

What techniques or theories did you use to create your final piece of work?

Katharina: Before the production process, a lot of time went into researching the current magazine market and trends. I felt it was particularly important to look at theories around niche markets, and how I could make my niche publication stand out amongst others. It was very important to get contributors in to create a variety of content and to get it all translated and sub-edited.

Alice: I used several tested outcomes to create and install HASTE. I began with the incredible amount of clothes we each own – I thought about the “nothing to wear” phrase that we hear so often. To illustrate how much we already possess, I created three outfits. The first is a “gown” made of 13 pairs of blue jeans. The second is a caped dress with a cascading train comprised 32 tiered black and grey t-shirts stitched together. Thirdly I made a minimal layered silhouette made up of all the grey coats I could get my hands on without having to buy anything new.

HASTE by Alice Davidson

The environment pays the highest price for our cheap clothing. I quite literally demonstrated water usage and pollution during the dyeing stages of production using the process of chromatography. A white dress with a line of black ink is left hanging over a tank of water. As the water is absorbed up, the colours separate and “dye” the garment. A play on the term “fast fashion”, my next piece employed film reels and a live art performance. I began undressed, and made a series of outfits in real time in front of an audience to demonstrate the contrast between what we know to be fast fashion today and high-end couture collections we see on the runway. The film reel shows variations of this concept with the use of a model and the runway. My goal was to highlight our dependence on garment labourers to produce our clothing.

Describe your work in five words…

Katharina: Bilingual, nostalgic, cheerful, artistic, floral.

Alice: Sustainable, handmade, process lead, contemporary activism.

What do you love about what you do?

Katharina: It is creative and I get to work with many interesting people from the industry.

Alice: I love being able to raise ethical issues via creative pieces, I also really enjoy directing and editing film.

What’s the best thing about LCF and your course?

Katharina: LCF offers many opportunities to meet people and network. The library is a great resource and has proved invaluable. As for the course, it’s very hands on and most assignments felt like tasks you would have to do in the industry.

Alice: Seeing inspiring projects and being able to work with people who are studying different subjects within the world of fashion, is one of the best things about LCF. The flexibility of studying part time allowed me to keep working during the day, whilst still having the opportunity to explore creative outlets via projects and classes.

Have you undertaken any work experience or done a placement whilst at LCF?

Katharina: I have actually been employed by the German product editorial team at Net-a-Porter for the last year and a half and I am currently in a managing role there. Before that I worked in fashion marketing for a British retailer. Through working in the industry I have learned to never give up – if you want to work in fashion, you can’t let hard work or people intimidate you!

Alice: I have had a few different fashion interning jobs, some have been with LCF alumni, and one a classmate hooked me up with. The LCF fashion network group on Facebook is filled with opportunities to assist shoots, intern at companies, photography and editing opportunities to name a few.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to study your course?

Katharina: Studying part-time next to a job can be overwhelming at times. If you consider studying the course, make sure you also plan in some downtime to unwind and relax.

Alice: Be prepared to challenge yourself and manage your time well, make the most of peers and tutors opinions and also of the resources provided by LCF – IT staff to give pointers, the libraries and computer facilities, and equipment.

• Find out more about BA (Hons) Fashion Media (Part time)
• Check out Katharina’s heiter magazine and Alice on Instagram
• Find out more about other undergraduate courses at LCF
• Find out more about postgraduate courses at LCF
• Find out more about all courses available at LCF
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• Course places available on UCAS Extra