I entered a competition around a month ago with Offcut London for a chance to be part of their virtual fashion show. On 4th May I got selected as one of the 85 other students through to the next stage. This involved filming two outfits, and recording a 30 second clip of me explaining my FMP. It was a great experience having to self film and model for the competition, and has taught me a lot about how much I am capable of. We will find out if we have been selected for the 20 spaces in the show on 17th May.

I listened to the Squiggly Careers podcast episode #57 How to create a vision for your career. This had some great tips on how to decide what you want to do as a career and how to keep focused on your goals. The 3 main points I took from it were, tune in to your values, ask yourself thought provoking questions and collect things that inspire you. I feel these three resonated with me the most and I feel I have a little bit more of an understanding of what I might like to do in the future.

Rachels talk about portfolio and tips about 3rd year was really helpful. She spoke about her portfolio and went through the pages explaining what each involved. She said during new designers that some of the judges asked specifically why you put certain images in your portfolio, so ensure what you put in is very relevant. She also gave us some insights into how they judge throughout new designers, and that if you get any opportunities ensure to keep in contact.

Overall I feel this talk was really needed, as I had a few questions about portfolio which Rachel answered.

We had another two guest speakers talk to us via zoom today, and again it was really interesting and beneficial.

First off we had Lee Dawson from Samuel Brothers. Samuel brothers is a Military tailoring company based in Aldershot and Harwich. We visited the Harwich workshop in second year so we knew a little bit about the company already.

Lee spoke to us a lot about CV’s and working within the industry. His pointers were very helpful, and helped me really consider what I should be putting in my CV for it to stand out. He is going to have a look at our CV’s for us which should also be very insightful.

We then spoke to Sury Bagenal from Seasalt, an ethical clothing brand based in Cornwall and London. I really enjoyed this talk as I felt the values of the company really resonated with me, and what she had to say was very beneficial. She spoke about the company, and showed us some older design work she had done, which was great to give us context on how our education would help us when we got a job. I also asked her a few questions regarding the ethical side of the business and where they source sustainable fabrics from, which is India and China, and how the pandemic has effected their company.

Overall I feel both talks were very helpful for us going forward into careers after university, and they both gave us a different outlook on what working in the industry may be like.

I was lucky enough to be selected to show some work on the DartDesign student takeover. It has been a great opportunity, and helped me become selective of what work I want to show. I feel this opportunity is really great, and we are in talks with Sharon about possibly being on ITV or BBC and she has spoken to some newspapers to hopefully get our work out there too. I am very excited for whats to come with DartDesignLtd.

I had a zoom talk with my mentor today which I feel was really needed. We spoke about COVID-19 and how this was effecting us as designers. She spoke about the challenges she has faced since lockdown was enforced and how this has effected her small business. We then moved on to discussing my work and she had a lot of tips. Pinterest was a big platform for Abbie to research portfolios and she has given me a lot of ideas and inspiration for mine. Continued support from Abbie is so helpful, and I feel very comfortable messaging her for feedback on work.

Chloe Beth Jones

My work encapsulates sustainability and an Avant Garde style, working with upcycled materials and eco-friendly stretch fabric where possible. I thoroughly enjoy construction and my passion for sustainability is not only shown through my work but has become a way of life. Through what I eat, to where I buy clothes from, to how I live my everyday life, I always try to be as environmentally conscious as possible. 

Working with stretch fabric and spending my free time developing patterns for swimwear is a new passion of mine, practising working with Lycra as much as possible. Creating digital prints for environmentally friendly fabric is another interest, and I make sure to make an eco-conscious decision in all of my work if it can be achieved.

I am currently working as a seamstress at Lucy Can’t Dance, an alternative wedding dress company, specialising in made to measure handmade dresses. My job is both fulfilling and creative and a perfect balance for my studies. I continue to participate in indoor bouldering and Aerial silks alongside university and work and have a long-term goal of traveling the world.

Studying Fashion and Textiles at University Colchester was definitely a step in the right direction for where I wanted my professional career to go, and I feel throughout my time there I have really pushed myself creatively.  

Where to find me: 

Email: Chloejones45@outlook.com

Instagram: @ChloeJonesFashion 

Today we had a full day of talks with different industry professionals. It was such a beneficial day and I have gained a lot of knowledge form each of them.

We first spoke to Sharon Morrison from DartDesignLtd, where she spoke a little about her background with working for UCC and how she also modelled for us. She then continued to talk about her ideas regarding PR for us 3rd year students and ways to get our work seen. We are very lucky to be invited show some of our work on the DartDesignLtd website, which I have sent over some images for. This is a great opportunity for us to get some expose and I look forward to having our work on there.

https://www.dartdesignltd.co.uk

We then had Lucy Scragg, the owner of Lucy Cant Dance, who I actually work for, give us a talk. She went over how she started the business and gave us a few tips on how to keep motivated in quarantine which was great, and I felt it was helpful for the other students too as I have gained so much knowledge from her throughout the 2 years working there.

https://lucycantdance.com

The last talk of the day was from Becky Irons, who is a Production Manager, working with H&M to put together all of their advertising. She deals with over 82 markets and is in charge of a team of 8 other staff. He role includes putting together all of the visuals for the company, including logos, price, colour profiles and everything in-between for magazines they will be in such as vogue, and all of their store front marketing. She gave a very different outlook on the industry as she is from a photography background, and I feel she has given us a good insight into what working in the fashion industry may be like if we work for a large brand like H&M.

We had a talk with David Lam last week which I found very helpful. David is a professional photographer who has worked with UCC Fashion and Textiles over the years taking images for our FMP brochures. He gave us tips on how to do a DIY shoot and specifically helped me with some ideas for my photoshoot. This was great and I took what he said into consideration when shooting my images, making sure the light was correct and the angles worked. I am really happy with how both of my shoots went and have been able to use my images to enter a few online competitions and for my instagram. I leased with David over email and sent him over some images. I am very lucky as he edited one for me and I am very happy with it. Overall it was a very successful talk, and he will be a great contact to have going forward with my career.

http://www.davidlam.co.uk

During lockdown it is hard to keep motivated, as you are working towards your own schedule, and if you are not a naturally motivated person, you may find it hard to motivate yourself to work. I have found a few things that have really kept me going through this lockdown, and helped me keep pushing myself throughout my FMP.

1. Having a schedule:

A weekly schedule or timetable is a must for me, as I like routine. Making myself a work routine has been great, as I am making sure each day is meaningful, and that I am getting the amount of work done I want.

2. Having weekly targets

Keeping small goals for myself also keeps me motivated, as I have something small and achievable to work towards each week. Once I complete a task, it is very rewarding to tick it off the list!

3. Making time for yourself

Making sure I have some downtime is really helpful, as if I were doing university work all day everyday I would definitely burnt out quickly. I have been having the weekends off and treating University work as a 5 day week job. This helps me still look forward to having the weekends off and working hard during the week.

4. Hobbies

I have made sure to make time each day for small hobbies that I have developed. Yoga and mediation really help me keep my focus and be mindful during this time, instead of getting upset about what could have been. They also help me unwind at the end of a hard working day, and prepare me for the each day to come.

I hope that I can keep motivated throughout this time in quarantine and continue to work hard, as I am really passionate about my FMP and want it to be the best it can be.