A Levels Results, Twitter and £9000 Uni Fees

As Twitter will probably have reminded you all, lots of teenagers got their A Level results this week. That means it is six years since I got my results and times have changed with social media, as Sabotage Times highlight in 'How Facebook & Twitter Ruined Celebrating A-Level Results'.

When I got mine back in 2006 Twitter had just launched and Facebook wasn't yet big in the UK, that would come part way through my first year at university. We were on the cusp of a social media revolution and so, the morning I got my results I was not on my iPhone tweeting (my little Samsung didn't even go on the internet). I was sat on my boyfriend's bed trying to convince him to check on the UCAS website so he didn't need to freak out worrying he hadn't got on to the Dentistry course he was hoping for whilst we were at school. (He didn't listen.)

I wasn't putting pictures of my results and congratulatory letters on Instagram after panicked status' that I wouldn't get on to my course. As a "Dignified Straight A student" I was rather quiet about how well I had done. As I wanted to do a creative course (Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism) I only needed a C in Art and Textiles so I wasn't concerned. My good results were just the icing on the cake, not necessary at all. 

Only those doing Dentistry or Medicine really needed to worry about their results, unless you had your sights set on Oxford or Cambridge but as a normal school in a sleepy village in Staffordshire we knew we weren't really posh enough for that. Now, with fees of £9000 a year and AAB becoming a prerequisite for hundreds of courses the new nature of A Level results day seems to have changed beyond sharing on social media.

Graduation Day

So after a full year of major stress, none stop work and a little bit of fun for good measure today was my MA graduation. I am now officially a Master of Arts in Fashion and Lifestyle Promotion, which is essentially creative marketing. What did I wear? A swooshy skirted midi dress from ASOS, a gorgeous necklace from Summer and Silver in the Jewellery Quarter,  star tights from New Look and block heeled shoes from Kurt Geiger.

My gorgeous friend Sarah went for quirky rather than formal a stripy shirt and leather shorts. (You probably can't see any of this in the pictures as I was rather flustered and didn't spend enough time on the pictures. Plus, my dads camera decided to make most of them blurry. Always good.)

Soundtrack to Stress

Ok...so the title of this post is a little extreme. I'm not manically stressed, I just have five deadlines this week. Currently I have done 4 of those...I'm definitely on top of everything. It's times like these when checklists are good.

1. Umbro iPad magazine - CHECK :)
2. Cellardoor magazine article - CHECK :)
3. Uni report 1- CHECK :)
4. Uni progression presentation - CHECK :)
5. Uni report 2 (formatted as an iPad magazine) - erm.... not so check :( It's written, it's partially formatted but it's definitely not finished. Bugger.

Anyway, in an effort to get all this done in time I have gathered albums that keep me happy enough to work but not so happy that I start working. I have decided to share this just-happy-enough-ness with others so that they too can be productive. If you're expecting anything exciting and new then lower those. Here's a tip - those albums that are best aren't that new. Or they're new but I've listened to them so much I don't have to spend time focusing on lyrics I just sing along, much to the joy of my neighbours. (They're really loud and rude and inconsiderate anyway so it's fine).

Here goes... (in no particular order!)
1. Kate Nash, Made of Bricks - Merry Happy is my current favourite, it was Birds before that.
2 and 3. Paolo Nutini, Sunny Side Up AND Those Streets - Yep Paolo is just bloody awesome at keeping me going.
4. Slow Club, Yeah So - When I Go is a gem of a track.
5. Stereophonics, Word Gets Around - I've wrote about them before (i.e. here) so you may be aware of my love for Kelly Jones.
6. The XX, XX - the bonus tracks are awesome if you haven't had a listen.

So yeah...I told you they weren't exciting but believe me they will keep you focused a treat. Here's a little bit to get you going:

University Arts Funding

A massive issue at my university currently is funding for the arts.  The governments limitations on funding for arts and humanities funding will effect many universities, thousands of students and the industries as a whole.  I am currently studying MA Fashion and Lifestyle Promotion at UCLAN, extending my knowledge from my BA (Hons) Fashion and Brand Promotion with Journalism, for which I gained a first.  There has always been an issue with funding but according to my tutor the only reason the creative departments are managing is because we are part of a larger university that also teaches subjects the government will fund such as sciences.

What is strange about this is that fashion is an extremely profitable industry.  It is worth £21 billion in the UK alone and is our 15th largest industry according to Fashion United, similar in size to the food/beverage services and telecommunications industries and bigger than the wholesale and retail of automotives, sports activities, chemical manufacture and advertising/video sectors".  Why aren't we investing in fashion and other creative industries when they are great for our country not just in economical terms but because of the culture they add.

Fashion is innovative and the UK has some of the best fashion colleges and universities, whose graduates are driving its future.  So how can this continue with a lack of arts funding?  It has been acknowledged by many newspapers, such as The Guardian, that this will hit those from lower income families especially as solely arts based universities will need to rethink fees and supplementary costs.  So how will universities continue to be fair to all students?  And how will graduates get noticed when they leave?

Graduate Fashion Week was a great opportunity for me, I won the Lyle and Scott Strategic Marketing Award and got lots of opportunities to meet mentors as well as a fantastic win to put on my CV.  Whilst Graduate Fashion Week and portfolio websites claim to be fantastic there is still an issue with costs.  Universities are wondering if they can afford a stand/a catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week and graduates simply can't afford to join portfolio websites when there is such a slim chance anyone will see them.

Lyle and Scott Strategic Marketing Award 2009, Image from GFW Website

I have been considering creating a magazine as part of my MA to highlight the brilliant and conceptual work that can come from unknown creatives in the worlds of music, art, fashion, architecture and graphics.  Trends and industry articles would be supplemented by imagery created by new talent and additional elements would profile successful people within the industry and offer exhibitions etc that could further inspire.  I think it would be great for students and people within industry alike, giving them a chance to see what was already out there, inspiring them to make the most of themselves and their businesses. What do you think?

Adele: Rolling in the Deep

It's coming up to Christmas and anyone who's been to uni knows what that means... A mass of deadlines, mad rush to get everything done and, of course, a mountain of Christmas shopping.  Needless to say I have been quiet on the blog front.  However, whilst I regain my thoughts here is a song that's keeping me going at the moment.  It's a beaut.  Adele is wonderful.  Enjoy.


Adele - Rolling In The Deep - In Studio from DUKOFF on Vimeo.

The Ethics of Technology

Having started my MA I have been taught the importance of mind maps.  "Mind maps" dears not spider diagrams (but as far as I can see a mind map is what I thought a spider diagram was).  I was told to create one on Concept Draw to see what avenues I should be looking at for research.  The result...I should be researching EVERYTHING!

What interested me most is the fact that in addition to all the usual trend, marketing and consumer malarkey I should also be considering ethics.  Not just any old ethics but how ethical technology is.  This wonderful concept has opened up a world of information to us but do you know the problem with it?  There's too much information.  It's actually scrambling the brains of the youth, with the younger generation (including me) being bombarded with so much we are now the most anxious younger generation there has ever been (or at least that is the gist I got from a recent Viewpoint article).

Technology is, in essence, taking over the world and scientists are making what we see in Science Fiction reality.  The only problem with this?  It's damn scary.  I've seen the Matrix and iRobot, technology isn't good in those films it's downright evil.  I found a whole book based (entitled Technophobia!) focusing on this issue and posthuman society.  So, as you can see, I was beginning to panic slightly.

Well....I panicked massively actually.  That is until I watched a video on Ted Talks called Ze Frank's web playroom.  For once, something was showing me that technology can reach out to people, connect them and make them happy.  So what if we're finding happiness through virtual worlds and virtual connections?  Especially when the people on the other end are real.  Surely if we're happy surely that's all that matters?



There is a lot about this world that needs fixing...and I mean A LOT...but if we start with the positives of technology and work out a way of finding our way through the mass of information that the Internet provides us with maybe, just maybe, we can use it to improve our world and work with us.  That has to be a better concept than it ruling us right?  After all, in a posthuman society we aren't here and that's just no good at all.

Umbro Sports Technology

So...I am officially a student once more and diving into a project with Umbro.  I am going to investigate many different things from trend and design inspiration to market research and the use of digital media within business.  For my first task I need your help...

I am going to investigate the use of technology and design within other sports and see why/how the professionals within them are picking certain brands/materials/fit/colour and how it enhances their ability.  The concept being that all sports are linked more than we realise and that brands focusing on a particular sport can learn from one another.

I think it's a really interesting starting point and so I am on the lookout to speak to competitive/professional players that know their sport and how to enhance themselves inside out.  Know anyone?  Jockey/snooker player/F1 driver?  The more obscure the better really.  Come on now, share and share alike.  Only you aren't sharing with them...you're sharing with me.  I'll keep your secrets if you want me to!  After all, I am only a lowly student not an Umbro employee.  Who knows maybe your help will allow England to finally get somewhere at the next world cup without showing us up!



Off to Umbro HQ in Manchester city centre on Friday morning.  What's the likelihood I'll make a fool of myself?  After all I know NOTHING about football.  (Proper football American readers...not your twisted version of rugby :p )  I'm really excited to work with them, there's so much more to them than football that people don't even realise and the employees I've met so far have been amazing and so knowledgeable.  Check out their blog to see what they've been up to.

Squelch, Squelch, Squelch

It's been one of those weeks...though I'm sure you guessed that by my lack of blogging.

I have felt poorly sick, lots of ASOS interview prep to do, my boss hung up on me for taking time off work for being poorly and then today it rains.  It rains on the first day I'm wearing pumps obviously and so my feet are all squelchy and shit.  Squelch, squelch, squelch I went, whilst Paolo Nutini's 'Ten Out of Ten' blared in my ears making me think of sunshine.  I got to a hill and attempted to move downwards and almost fell on my face with my feet slipping all over the place within my stupid black suede pom pom shoes.  Suede ballet pumps and rain...nightmare.  I need a holiday, I really do.

Of course, being in England it rains in the Midlands.  However, I honestly can't remember the last time I actually had to walk in it.  It reminded me of this illustration...

It's one of a series I produced to represent 'Where am I now?' in a Personal and Professional Development module at university.  The image, whilst illustrated by me, is not my own.  It's one of Azuzephre's Pon and Zi cartoons, I have only been creative enough to change the words.  Cutest little emo characters ever.

Anyway, I digress...this illustration summed up how I felt at the time.  I was beginning to feel trapped in Preston.  Well, that was silly.  It took me three years to get bored of Preston, which was only brought on by my continuing stress to be amazing at uni, and now 9 months at home and I wish I was back there.  Masters?  It's becoming more and more appealing.  Rain or no rain.

The grass is always greener isn't it...definitely need to just make the most of what I have.  Bugger.

Future in Progress....I'm in a book!

This year I graduated from UCLAN as the first set of fashion students to officially come from their "International Fashion Institute" (IFI).  They've made an amazing trend book called Future in Progress and I'm in it.  "Future in Progress features a series of directional and inspiring concepts, projects, ideas and opinion that we believe will influence our fashion future up to 2020."

I thought I'd treat you and took some pathetic iPhone pics for you...though just images don't do this justice.  The books actually really good.  Particularly because Elena Kate Gifford, the Creative Director of Future in Progress, is amazing with trend.  Genius.

Buy it at Amazon.  It's not just IFI people....it includes students and professionals from all over the UK in one big, collaborative, epic mashup.  With contributors including Terry Mansfield (Chairman of GFW), Neil Bennet, Chris Hamilton and amazing UCLAN student Alex Crozier.  It's pretty epic.

Future in Progress: front cover, my page, my section (awww bless...they're promoting me!), Alex Crozier and Chris Hamilton

Master of Fashion?

I had a plan.  I was going to graduate, work as a fantastical fashion person for 2-5 years and then maybe do an MA/MBA...dependent on where I was and what I fancied.  Well...I am not a fantastical fashion person.

I am a person that gets mad at work, despises the gossip, gets paid less than the others and then ends up crying.  Not because I'm upset...because I'm frustrated.  Thanks to Graduate Fashion Week I have contacts at company's from Burberry to ASOS to pester for work experience but can I do it? NO! Why I hear you ask? Because I live in the Midlands and not in the centre of the fashion universe: London.

So here are my thoughts...maybe I should just buck up my ideas and change the plan around a bit.  Move to London, do an MA and get work experience alongside it.  THEN come out of university once and for alla nd become a fantastical fashion person with lots of experience rather than no experience.

I am very indecisive when it comes to my own life.  (Believe me I would plan your whole life for you though if you asked me.)  Right now I am scouring university websites, bank websites and careers websites in an attempt to make some kind of a decision.  Not really making much headway.  I don't even know whether it'd be clever to focus on fashion promotion or to broaden my horizons and do something more general.

Everyone I speak to says it's a decision only I can make.  Bugger. That's what I was dreading.  Suggestions on a postcard.