Tell us about yourself

I am 23 years old and live in Brighton, although I am originally from London, so still have strong links with the capital. I took my A-Levels at college in Brighton and studied Art & Design, English and Sociology. Then I completed a Foundation Year in Art & Design specialising in Fashion & Textiles.

I am currently in the first year of the degree working up to 30 hours per week on my course. However I also manage to fit a lot more things into my life apart from studying. I currently work for the UK headquarters of Amex in Brighton. I also help to run a boutique in the North Laines area of the city at weekends, where I sell some of my own designs, which are an eclectic mixture of 'Boho Chic'. On top of this I also work part time as proof-reader for the University of the Arts student magazine. So all in all - I'm pretty busy!

Why did you choose this particular course?

I was originally interested in studying a course in buying and merchandising, however I found that this degree was much 'broader' in its course content, and as I ultimately want to get into fashion promotion much more, I felt it was the ideal course for me, as it looks at how fashion is marketed and promoted through a variety of mediums and formats. I was also interested in Foundation Degrees as they are very vocational, practical degree courses where the work projects are set by industry. This is great for someone like me who is particularly interested in the design, commercial aspects and PR side of fashion.

After completing my foundation year, I took a gap year and worked on a variety of Brighton-based magazines such as New Currents, Absolute and Latest 7. This got me thinking about the promotion side of fashion more and more, and the next thought process was to get a qualification in this area. I knew about LCF's reputation, and started researching courses.

Why did you choose to study an online course?

Lots of reasons! The main ones were that it allowed me to stay in Brighton, and allowed me to work as well as study, so it gives me that flexibility. As it is taught online it means that my IT skills have got better and better, which is increasingly important in the industry. It also means that you have to be very organised with your time, and 'on the ball' when trying to juggle work and studying. This has been a good thing for me.

How is the course taught?

We are given individual and group assignments by email and are taught using live chat, and posting our work online. We submit essays to our tutors on a regular basis. To give you an example - I am in a work-group with students from Greece, Sweden and the UK. We recently had to complete a project where we had to research European Fashion Exhibitions that take place annually, compile a list of these, and explain how they were organised and what they were for, and how they promoted the fashion industry.

Working in a group with people from all over the world means that you have to be pretty self sufficient, organise your time well, be concentrated, and think on your feet a lot. It also means that a lot of the work is very research based and you have to be aware that a lot of the work will be almost 'self taught' because of this. Unlike in a regular class room situation where you are expected to physically be in a certain place at a certain time, where you would pick up this information from a lecturer talking to you in class. The flip side of this means of course that you don't have to make your way to a classroom first thing on a rainy morning! However we have to be online at set times at least twice a week for online tutorials, and to use the live chat board to ask any questions and clarify any issues that we have regarding the work, and of course to receive support. We post any pressing questions to our group and the tutors on the discussion board, and this seems to work pretty well.

How did you find this course?

I was originally looking for a more flexible part time degree course in this subject taught 'in college'. However there was nothing in the Brighton area. I searched on the internet, and hadn't particularly thought about online learning, but when I found this degree it seemed ideal because of the flexible nature of study and the fact that it lead to a qualification, and was taught at London College of Fashion which had a great reputation.

Although it is taught online, I had to go in to the college at the beginning of the course for a two day induction, and like all LCF and University of the Arts students I get the same access to facilities as a full time student. For example I can use the LCF library, and because the University of The Arts London has an agreement with a wide variety of colleges and universities within the UK, I can also use my LCF Student Identity card to access the library and other facilities at the University of Brighton, which is where I go to do most of my research. I get the same benefits as full time students in terms of belonging to the Student Union, financial and pastoral help, and student support.

Which fashion magazines do you read?

I regularly read Vogue, Marketing Magazine, Drapers, Harpers Bazaar, and websites such as Style.com

What do you hope to do in the future?

I would love to write my own fashion page in a magazine on a regular basis. I am also very interested in the styling and visual merchandising side of fashion too. Promoting fashion is extremely exciting and rewarding. And being able to work in these areas whilst studying for a qualification, specifically around fashion marketing and promotion has proved to be an ideal way for me of hopefully achieving this.