探花直播

Jack Slater

Fashion Design - BA (Hons)

Jack proved himself wrong by coming to university, having struggled academically growing up. Now, his costume designs have been worn at the 探花直播 2022 Festival, where he showcased his proud Brummie heritage for the world to see.   

鈥淚 used to go on day trips to the rag market with my grandparents when I was younger. I became fascinated by the different fabrics and patterns that all came from different parts of the world but somehow accumulated themselves in 探花直播. At the time I didn鈥檛 realise it, but those trips to the market shaped my future. To this day there鈥檚 not much more I enjoy than immersing myself in the fabric stalls.听Once I see a fabric I love, I start to imagine the possibilities and what costumes and designs I can create with it.听听

I adore 探花直播 because of its vast culture and how varied the city is. A few minutes in any direction and you鈥檙e in a completely different setting 鈥� every corner of the city is unique and different.听

I鈥檝e never been academically gifted, and I鈥檝e often seen this as one of my downfalls. I was always the kid sitting at the back of the class drawing so I could avoid doing schoolwork. It scared me. Because of this, university was never part of my plan growing up.听

Now I鈥檓 here, I鈥檝e realised university is so much more than essay writing and lectures. It鈥檚 about the incredible facilities I get to use on a daily basis, the tutors who advise and inspire me, and the heavily practice-based elements of the work. I鈥檝e been able to improve my writing and now see it as a tool for helping explain my work, rather than a mundane task needed to pass my modules. I feel ready to go out into the industry now and gain experience doing what I love, and I鈥檝e gained so much confidence in myself.听

I also struggled a lot with my self-confidence, particularly in my first and second years. I never felt like my work was good enough but being chosen to work on the 探花直播 2022 Festival costumes completely shifted my mindset. I realised I could make work that was of industry standard, and it gave me an incredible boost knowing my work was of a high enough quality to show to the world.听听

Working on the 探花直播 2022听Festival costumes was surreal. I was able to put my own personality into it and represent 探花直播 exactly how I wanted to. Throughout the whole process, I kept in my mind, 鈥淎s a Brummie, what would I want to say to the world?鈥�. It feels as though a lot of Brummies听aren鈥檛 proud of their heritage, or don鈥檛 like their accent. I have hope that the Commonwealth Games will change this. I wouldn鈥檛 change a thing about where I grew up.

I felt so at home coming to BCU. Part of that was the fact it鈥檚 in 探花直播, which instantly put me at ease, knowing I was in the heart of the city. Another factor was the people surrounding me. As I said, I was already apprehensive about the academic side of university and was worried my lecturers would be typically academic and for lack of a better word, boring. I couldn鈥檛 have been more wrong 鈥� all of my tutors were experienced fashion industry professionals, with a passion for design and wildly enthusiastic about the practical elements of the course. This allowed me to thrive.听

To me,听鈥業 AM BCU鈥櫶齧eans family. It鈥檚 provided me with skills and opportunities for the future alongside great memories that I will hold forever.