Round one. 3999 characters of the maximum allocated 4000... With special thanks to Sue Randall for professionally checking this for me, my personal statement reads:
Fashion infiltrates every aspect of society and evolves so rapidly that in a blink, as soon as one trend sets in another is already replacing it. Fashion journalism captures these moments, shares them with its viewer and documents them in fashion history, making them immortal.
There are few things in life that enthral me as much as seeing that process in which a model goes from being just a woman to a living, breathing work of art. She personifies self expression, and her garments denote a piece of future history and tell a story of the social and political ideologies of that moment in time.
I wish to study Fashion Journalism because it blends so beautifully the cocktail of my interests. These include an all-consuming enthusiasm for fashion, a predilection to express myself through the visual arts and language, with a driving need to understand the way our society is affected and influenced by the media and social reasoning. I chose to study my A Level subjects as a foundation for journalism, and then decided to further my understanding of fashion by studying fashion design formally. I aim to explore this subject in as many different aspects as possible, and have a particular interest in the contextual studies and fashion promotions units in the course content.
After leaving school and before furthering my formal education, I took two years out of studying to build an understanding of the working world and establish my own business as a fashion stylist. I built my business through extensive study of fashion trends and continually networking with photographers and creatives. Doing this has equipped me with skills that are essential within the industry, such as managing deadlines and the demands of others, being self motivated and working within a creative fashion-focused team. I also began employment with Tesco in customer service and clothing departments. Working in retail in this manner has provided me with an understanding of consumer needs, problem solving skills and the ways to achieve customer satisfaction—and the importance of this. Empathy is another essential skill in communicating through writing and being able to effectively market a product to the mass consumer base.
Outside of formal education I am a registered volunteer for the Harris Museum, working as a digital journalist for an up-and-coming exhibition that is part of the Cultural Olympiad, and which encompasses current fashions alongside historic textiles. I write for their blog and styled the promotional photoshoots, and worked with a team to produce the layout and style of their booklet. This booklet was sent to potential supporters and artists to encourage them to donate their pieces. Through this project I have been presented with opportunities to interview artists such as designer Holly Russell and textile artist Michael Brennand-Wood for the blog, to attend a lecture by and work alongside photographer/ stylist Gavin Fernandes, and to attend a digital journalism workshop. The latter is run by a company specialising in programs to support businesses in developing their marketing and promotion skills, and the workshop gave me further insight into the power of social media outlets and ways in which to utilise them most effectively.
When not working or studying I maintain two blogs, one focused on fashion and the other on creative writing. I also enjoy reinventing my own image frequently.
My years outside of formal education have given me life experience that has matured me to a level that will allow me to focus on university and apply myself fully to specialist study. With my varied tastes in different aspects of fashion business, I could apply myself well to a Fashion Journalism degree, and on completion I would be excited to explore the doors this course could open up for my career. I aspire one day to follow in the steps of those that have inspired me through their fashion work, and to create my own place within fashion history.
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