Leah Gearie

The Course

After studying an art and design BTEC I knew that I wanted to do a fashion design course, I looked at my university options and Manchester Fashion Institute was definitely my favourite. The BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology offers a very specific and technical side to fashion and design and it lets you specialise in a specific area, menswear, womenswear or sportswear. As I’m involved in sports myself sportswear stood out to me and is something I’m very passionate about.

There is a lot of help and support on this programme; all the tutors have been in the industry so know what they are talking about. If we need help from a particular tutor and we don’t have them on our timetable session they can be accessed through email and through a drop-in scheme. The University has the best facilities for machinery, including industry machines for all types of uses and finishing’s and lab-testing facilities for testing how suitable a fabric is for a garment. There is also the Innovation Zone, which is a room full of specialist equipment mainly used by sportswear students, I spend a lot of my time in this room and use the machinery within my garments. A lot of the learning we do here is all industry related and our studies are tailored to give us the knowledge for working within fashion. Manchester Fashion Institute also has outstanding links with the industry, which helps us to stay one-step ahead of the game in comparison to students from other fashion institutes.

My favourite project that I have completed so far has been the outerwear brief. The theme I chose was football, I really enjoyed researching and gaining imagery for my design work. I found a lot of inspiration for this project both primary and secondary. I also found this project the particularly challenging as it was quite different from the work we’d done in first year. It was great to see the result and have a final ferment that I was proud of.

The Opportunities

Outside of my normal classes, I have been to many industry talks hosted by Manchester Fashion Institute. I find these very useful especially when looking and applying for placements. Also having people come in to talk about the industry that you are potentially hoping to work in gives you a good insight into what you could be doing and achieving in the future. I think it is exciting and adds that motivation and drive to achieving your goals. In addition, I have recently secured a placement at Poeticgem for a menswear design assistant role and I am due to start in June this year.

Student Support

I find all the staff very supportive especially my sportswear teachers. My sportswear group is small, which I love as I feel we get a lot more one-to-one support and feedback. I get on really well with my two sportswear tutors, I find them easy to talk to for advice and they will always go out of their way to help any of us.

Top Tips for potential students

If you are passionate about fashion design, this is the course for you. The best advice I would give is be experimental and don’t be afraid to do what you want to do. Show who you are through your designing and take the chance to work out your own style that is recognizable to you.

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