Jessica Hearnshaw: BA (Hons) Cordwainers Accessories: Product Design & Development, Riyeka Silburn: BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear.
During our graduate season, here on the LCF blog we are showcasing some of the newly graduated designers. Today we present an interview with Jessica Hearnshaw from BA (Hons) Cordwainers Accessories: Product Design & Development whose accessories appeared on the catwalk on the 1st of July.
LCF asked: What has been the best part of studying at LCF?
Jessica Hearnshaw: I’ve really enjoyed the variety of skills that you get to learn, especially on my course for accessories because you get to work from design all the way through to actually making the final products. Learning all those skills in one package has been really good.
LCF: What would you say makes you stand out from the crowd?
JH: I think the aesthetics of my design is very minimal and clean lines. I’ve been making a lot of Japanese packaging and I don’t think that’s been done very much in accessorises at the moment. There’s a lot of under-body pieces and restraint and so I think my style is quite a different look to what’s going on at the moment in the market and on the course as well.
LCF: What inspires your work?
JH: I’m really interested in packaging and paper folding, looking at traditional techniques and that kind of informs my design process. Stylewise, I think people like Jil Sander, Acne and that clean minimalism look is very inspiring for me.
LCF: What is most important to your design process?
JH: Always keep designing. Even if I think I’ve got something that’s really good, I always try and look back at my research and find something else interesting and then work from that too so that there’s never and end to it; you can always push an idea further. Even if you think something’s right, just keep going and often you get a lot more out of it. You see so many amazing things that sometimes you end up forgetting about certain aspects and focusing on something else, so looking back reminds you of those other great ideas which I think is really important.
LCF: Have you done any work experience whilst on your course?
JH: I did the year out in industry so I did Marc B bags at Topshop and then Addidas over in Germany. Both were design assistant jobs that the FBRS helped with setting up. Working at Marc B taught me just how quickly the turnover is on the high street and also how trend-led it is. My Addidas placement was great because it was just so amazing to work in such a big company. I got to work with lots of different teams from different parts of the company. I learnt how to create a really good design but at a really low cost as I was working in sports performance, which is the essentials and basics range. It taught me to really push my design because you couldn’t do anything really fancy or too crazy. It was quite challenging but actually really fun.
LCF: What are your plans for the future?
JH: I’d like to get an assistant design position in a high-end brand so that I can get experience in that sort of market as that is more my sort of design style. I’d also quite like to start up my own brand but that’s something to think about further in the future.
LCF: Do you have any advice for future students?
JH: Try and go to all the extra things that are offered on the course like all the guest lecturers, workshops and events because when you first start you may not think much of going to them, but I have really made an effort to this year and it’s shown me how much it benefits your learning experience.
Image Credits:
- Bags by Jessica Hearnshaw
- Womenswear by Riyeka Silburn
- Photography by James Rees
- Creative Direction by Rob Phillips
- Beauty by Pace Chen
- Model: Ellie @ Select
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