My name is Cammie, and I’m currently a Level 5 BA (Hons) Fashion student. Here’s all the things I’ve been up to lately in the third term.
This term, we’ve partnered up with a brand from the fashion industry, which I’ll be keeping a little secret for now. However, it’s cool getting to work so closely with a brand with a following. Seems kind of surreal.
We’ve been put into groups and tasked to design a collection for the brand, and we’re working with a really interesting material this term. Latex. How often would you say you’ve worn, touched, let alone worked with latex? As unconventional a fabric it may appear, I’m absolutely stoked to be working on this project, and I’m excited to be working with my group. So that’s the main quest of the term. Now onto the side quests, the entertaining bits!
We’ve just been inducted onto the knit machines, so I’ve been spending my time productively, trying to master the deep, dark secrets of knitting. Knitting is unfortunately way more difficult than I thought it would be. My teacher has something called the “magic touch.” I would be struggling with the knit machine, confused over the different settings they could possibly be on. At some point mid-knitting, you simply can’t remember what the difference between O, N and F is, what they could mean, and which would be right. I ask for help, and she comes over, glances at my work for not even five seconds, and boom. Fixed. Just like magic. Unfortunately for me, though, she’s only in once every two weeks, so that’s the day I try to clarify all my questions. Also, because of the way our term is structured this term, I don’t exactly have the power to hog her for long periods of time, so there’s that.
In other news, I’ve been working on a corset that’s made out of hair, which has been working out great! The most challenging part of making a corset isn’t actually the corset itself, or so I found out. Nothing is as challenging until you’re working with synthetic hair that you can’t exactly mess up! I’ve been taking chunks and chunks of bright red hair and putting it into braids. Any time I make a mistake, I have to undo the braid – what a dread (literally). I have to do it ever so slowly, ensuring that I don’t tangle up the hair anymore before it becomes hairball chaos that even a hair wash and a brush can’t fix. I’ve braided so much hair and it keeps haunting me. I’ve been finding red hair strands in my bag, my lunchboxes, my hair, my clothes, stuck between pocket zippers, etc. The red hair revolution has started. That being said, as much as I’m making this out to sound like I’m sick of this project, I have honestly been really enjoying it. The corset was made for a Makeup student’s final major project, and it’s just an honour to be a part of it! Similar to latex, how often can I say that I’ve made a garment out of hair? What a fun little project!
On the topic of fun, I’ve been enjoying my other collaborations with other students in AUB. I’ve just modelled for two different photography students, one of whom turned me into a sailor, the other turned me into a circus ringmaster. And soon enough, I’ll get to be a mermaid! When else will I be in my 20s playing dress-up as a mermaid?
This upcoming shoot has me really pumped because it’s going to feature two corsets and two skirts that I’ve been working on recently (yes, on top of all my other silly little projects), and the makeup artist and stylist that I’m working with are just the most lovely people ever. I’ve worked with them before on a previous project and I’m honestly so happy that I’m getting another chance to work with them again. And, if you know me personally, you would know that the three things that tingle my whimsy are elves, fairies, and mermaids. Something about them screams magical to me. So this opportunity to play dress-up is my most exciting project yet.
Sometimes I look back and think how it’s so crazy that I’m a Fashion student now – I spent my whole life in STEM, dreaming of becoming a doctor – but I’m really enjoying it! I think I’ve really made the most of my time, filling it in with all these projects, where I get to meet and work with so many other people. My teachers are sweethearts, and my friends are simply lovely. I’ve never once regretted coming to study Fashion here!
When I first applied here, I was happy because it was only three years, and not four like other universities. Now, I’m kind of wishing it was a four-year course! But maybe it’s only three years for the best. Maybe I’ll go on to work with many other lovely people in a similar fashion (haha – get it?) to now. But until then, I’ll keep working on my silly little projects!
