Oona Jennifer Vaughan

Your course 

At the time of researching prospective universities, Fashion Art Direction at Manchester Fashion Institute was only 1 of 2 courses surrounding Art Direction that I found. I’d previously studied Fashion and Footwear at college, and although I loved it, I knew I didn’t want to design clothing anymore. I wanted to create visuals and images. So, FAD seemed like the perfect fit for me.

Teaching & Facilities 

I feel like we were very well situated as a group of creatives. Camera and video equipment were available to book out from the AV store. We also had the option to book out the Cool Light Studio and the other photography studios.

We were taught by various tutors throughout our 3 years who all came from different backgrounds. Each one had a different specialty, so you were able to go to who you needed and get the right advice which was always great.

Memorable project 

I did a project in third year called CLEANSE, where I proposed an app that merged my love for both ASMR and bathing. It was something that truly meant a lot to me and seeing the final product after creating and designing throughout the whole 6 weeks was an incredible feeling.

I am also so proud of my Final Major Project; STAY-Cation. I looked at utilising your bedroom, home and local area in a time of limited travel during Covid-19. I art directed, styled and self-shot all of the images so it was a massive achievement. I then turned the 3 different photoshoots in to 3 separate zines. I was very passionate about the project, and the results were exactly how I envisioned them to be. STAY-Cation is by far my favourite, so it felt good to end university on a high note.

Study trips 

During my first year of the course a few of us were lucky enough to go to Tokyo, Japan for a week. Seeing the culture of a place that is so different to ours was fascinating. My favourite part was the immersive exhibition; Borderless. Each of the rooms featured projections of various flowers, or lights and you felt like you were physically in the projections. It was breath-taking.  It was also lovely to experience a different culture with people from FAD, it was something that happened in the early days of us being on the course and I think it helped bring us closer together.

Aspirations for the future 

I hope to work for a creative agency for the foreseeable future. I think I thrive in a group environment. I just hope to be happy in my chosen career path (whatever that may be) and to be able to create on a regular basis.

Advice to prospective students 

Think outside the box and do not doubt even the craziest idea. Fashion Art Direction is about encompassing everything. Be bold and be brave!

Oona graduated in 2021 you can see her graduate work below