Success for graduates

After a really successful summer of shows and exhibitions for our graduates, we are now looking at what happens next. Over the years many of our grads have gone into a variety of creative roles since leaving Bucks, including these two great recent stories from the last two months.

Marcia La Madrid

Marcia has recently been offered a job with Collection 18, a leading design studio based in New York, where she will work alongside a large team of creatives to develop and design accessories. Collection 18 work for many design companies, from Lulu Guiness to Urban outfitters and Nordstrom.
Marcia said of her time at Bucks;
"Bucks New University allowed me to really explore my discipline thanks to its spacious studio, great facilities, and fantastic tutoring. I secured an internship at SIBLING LONDON through one of my tutors before graduation. From then on I worked as a freelancer for different clients such as Pitti Filati and Katie Jones. I have now gained a position as a cold weather accessories designer at Collection 18 New York. Bucks and my tutors have given me great support, both during and after my course.” 

Szilvia Burrows.

A talented Textiles and Surface Design graduate from Buckinghamshire New University is looking forward to a role with the well-respected Tom Dixon Research Studio after being honoured for two awards at her graduation ceremony.
Szilvia Burrows graduated with first-class honours from the University in High Wycombe and is now taking the next stage in her career, with a position as an Assistant Technologist at Tom Dixon Research Studio in London, the interior, product and branding design consultancy at the heart of the Tom Dixon organisation.

Final year students.

We've had a busy few months at Bucks Textiles, with students working hard towards their final projects. The beauty of the course is the diversity of work produced across the pathways. Everything from large scale interior prints, new material development to contemporary knitwear.
To keep fully up to date with everything at Bucks Textiles please follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BucksTextiles.

 Francine Horsfield - Geometric and vibrant knitwear

 Maria Stella - Textured and subtle knitwear.

 Rianna Wilson - Detailed hand drawn wallpaper.

 Emma Wednesday - Printed product for calming Yoga.

 Sophie Orde - Inlayed materials for interior surfaces.

Zeba Safdar - Tactile concept fabrics.

Inspiring Guest Speakers

Over the last two weeks at Bucks we have had a series of inspiring talks from industry, designers and recent alumni of the course. These have introduced students to new approaches to work, such as designer Aimee Betts http://www.aimeebetts.com/ who came and shared her approach to design, the way she works and some of the recent projects she has worked on.

We had visits from 3 recent alumni who shared their experiences so far. Their perspective of the real design world and advice for current students.
Emma Kendall and Sheroze Iqbal were both printed textile students at Bucks and graduated 2016. And Jenny Collicott graduated several years ago.

Another of our speakers was Katie Dominy founder of  Arts Thread. Sharing her knowledge and background. Many of our students use artsthread throughout their time at university as a great platform for online portfolios accessible by industry. Take a look at some of them here. https://www.artsthread.com/school/bucksnewuniversity/

Tengri live industry project presentations

Last week 2nd and 3rd year knit students presented the outcomes of the live project set by luxury fashion brand Tengri.

This image shows the supply chain which is transparent and benefits thousands of herder families in Mongolia.

Tengri has a strong ethical stance around sustainability and this formed a core part of the brief. Working with natural yak fibres and yarns as well as other natural fibres. Students experimented with re-using yarns and natural dyeing as part of the process. Due to the natural colour palette, textures and structures formed a key part of the design process. In this instance the outcome was for luxury interiors.

 images of students presenting to CEO Nancy Johnston and Designer Amy Greenland.

Menswear Show in Florence by Associate Lecturer

Carlo Volpi, associate lecturer at Bucks has this week been showing a menswear knitwear collections at the international menswear show Pitti Uomo in Florence. In 2016 Carlo won 'Who is on next?' at the show which has enabled him to develop his new collection, collaborate with manufacturers and have his first major catwalk show this week.
Carlo is a graduate from the Royal College of Art and began his knitwear label in 2014. His designs are bold and irreverent, with combinations of machine and traditional techniques to create an eclectic collection.
This new collection for AW17-18 takes inspiration from 'cool grannies' such as Iris Apfel and Disco Sally from studio 54.
http://carlovolpi.co.uk/
http://www.pittimmagine.com/en/corporate/fairs/uomo.html

Jim's interview on Design Insider

Design Insider is a great new online resource set up by BCFA (British Contract Furnishing Association) that aims to to seek out and share the latest news and trends in the commercial interiors world. Before the Christmas break they sat down with our Surface pathway tutor Jim Biddulph (who also works at Material Lab) to kick off their Designer Q&A's which will become a regular feature on the site. Follow the link to find out about Jim's journey into design, his inspirations and material trend tips for the year to come.