Student Stories: Emma Rubinson, Summer Study Abroad

Emma took our Summer Study Abroad: Textile Design and Advanced Fashion Design courses and gained a different perspective on her creative process.

Meet Emma Rubinson, a student at Washington University in St Louis, United States. Emma completed two of our 3 week Summer Study Abroad programmes in Summer 2019. She took Textile Design and Advanced Fashion Design. After the programme ended we asked Emma for her thoughts.

I have always dreamed of studying in London at Central Saint Martins! I was looking for a place that would push me creatively, and also a new and exciting city to explore.

What courses did you study on and why?

I took Textile Design and Advanced Fashion Design. I wanted to learn new textile techniques and have access to the UAL facilities, and then apply the techniques to the collection I created in the second course! I love working with my hands and making my own materials so my work in both classes was heavily based on texture and surfaces design.

Image credit: Work by Emma Rubinson, Photography by Adam Razvi

What did you enjoy most about your course?

I loved how much my professors pushed me in the advanced fashion course. I felt like I really took a leap in my creative process and development of a collection and have so many new skills and methods to create.

How has this course benefitted your career and personal development?

My home school is largely based on construction and the consumer, so this was a great way to focus on the design process and research so I can go back to school with a more well rounded approach.

Why did you choose London?

I have always dreamed of studying in London at CSM! I’ve known I was interested in fashion from a young age and have heard about so many amazing designers that studied there. I was looking for a place that would push me creatively, and also a new and exciting city to explore.

What would you say to someone thinking about studying abroad at UAL?

DO IT. I’m so glad to have had a different perspective from a new school that is so well-regarded. I loved having a different approach to design and i think it’s really beneficial to learn from more than one school of teaching.

Tell us about what you created while you were here?

In my textile design course I made tons of samples to practice the many printing and dyeing techniques we learned, and then my final piece was a two sided neoprene that I printed with watercolor illustrations and a screen that I made in the beginning of the course. In the advanced fashion course I designed a collection inspired by my collection of dried flowers that I have kept throughout my life, documenting accomplishments and growth.

What 3 words best describe your experience?

Challenging, exciting, rewarding!