I was contacted by a former Bonas MacFarlane Arts client this week, who was excited to share the news that she is featured in this months British Vogue as ‘one to watch for 2022’!
She graduated from the Central Saint Martins Textiles degree this year and has recently launched her own brand, having come to us a few years back while on the foundation course at CSM. She was struggling with the intensity and logistics of that program, and within the structure of the Part 1 projects she had been rejected by her chosen ‘specialism’, making her preferred degree options much harder to attain. I mentored her through the foundation and she was eventually awarded a distinction, as well as gaining a place on CSM’s prestigious BA Textiles degree. Her parents feedback at the time included, “I really appreciated your advice from the beginning, especially after she got the rejection from first round and with your positive motivation she changed the threat to opportunity” with the student adding, “Thank you very much for your help, I really don’t know how I’ve could have done this without you.”
Fashion and textiles are among the post popular subject areas with our clients, and it isn’t hard to see why students aiming to study these subjects at foundation or degree level would look to the UK as their preferred destination. Just this week Harris Reed was named creative director of Nina Ricci at just 26 years old and having only graduated from CSM in 2020 – another addition to the roll call of famous fashion designers to have graduated from CSM including Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Sarah Burton, Hussein Chalayan, Katherine Hamnett and John Galliano.
Fashion and textiles applications remain an area that we have a strong record of good results in, with many clients achieving first choice offers. As I noted in a recent blog post, some very talented, gifted individuals are rejected by the top institutions every year, and this is particularly true of popular and competitive subject areas such as fashion. I can still recall the tense, stressful wait on the foundation at CSM last year as one after another of a client’s fellow foundation students were rejected by CSM’s famous fashion degrees, while he went on to be offered places on not one but two degree courses there. Our specialist tuition teams include graduates of CSM, LCF and The Royal College of Art, ensuring that we have a sound understanding of the methodology and approaches adopted by these institutions.
It may come as no surprise therefore to discover that textiles in sewn into the very DNA of Bonas Macfarlane. Our founder Charles Bonas’ grandfather actually invented the first electronic Jacquard looms! Bonas Textile Machinery NV launched the first successful electronic Jacquard at ITMA Milan in 1983. Now under the ownership of a Belgian company (but still operating under the Bonas brand) they still make some of the best looms in the world.
We are very proud our many layered contribution to the world of fashion and textiles, and of Bonas MacFarlane’s place in this talented young designer’s emerging story.. one to watch for sure!
By Darren Marshall, Bonas MacFarlane Art Director
Nb. Date for your diary:
Calling all creative and artistic 6th-form students considering art and design at university. This is the event for you!
Sign up for tickets at https://forma.show/ and meet Bonas MacFarlane Art, get advice on your application and portfolio and choose the perfect institution.
Exhibitors include:
Architectural Association
Bonas MacFarlane Art
Savannah College of Art and Design
School of Visual Arts Inc
The Arts University Bournemouth
The University of Reading
The University of Westminster
University of the Arts London
University of the West of England, Bristol
Wednesday 12 October 2022 09:30-16:30 at RIBA, Portland Place
#artschool
#studyart
#tutor