Plymouth College of Art joins the British Fashion Council’s prestigious Colleges Council

Plymouth College of Art joins the British Fashion Council’s prestigious Colleges Council

Plymouth College of Art’s BA (Hons) Fashion Design degree has joined the esteemed British Fashion Council (BFC) Colleges Council, aligning with British universities and colleges delivering outstanding fashion education to students across the UK and internationally.

Founded in 1993, to create an interface between education and industry, the BFC Colleges Council represents the leading fashion departments in educational institutions across the UK. Their aim is to create a network of experienced course leaders within the fashion and wider creative industries, coming together to support each other in arts and fashion education.

The BFC Colleges Council organises an annual programme of events, giving students and course leaders access to fashion design competitions, with partners including Burberry, Givenchy and MTV, an annual Graduate Showcase and industry-led events such as seminars with industry experts, workshops and industry preview days. Students also get access to BFC initiatives such as scholarships and the Student Fabric Initiative, a partnership with Burberry as part of their ‘ReBurberry Fabric’ initiative, which sees the brand donate substantial amounts of leftover fabric to fashion students to help produce their final year collections, some of which has already found its way to the fashion students at Plymouth College of Art.

Laura Jones, Lecturer for BA (Hons) Fashion Design said,

“We are delighted to be a member of the BFC Colleges Council. Our membership is significant for the Fashion Design degree at Plymouth College of Art, as it connects us to an important network of creative fashion programmes across the UK, while also giving us a voice in the development of new initiatives for fashion design students.”

The BFC is a not-for-profit network, with members from the fashion industry, to encourage and enable sustainable growth, advise and strengthen British fashion in the global fashion economy. The BFC organises biannual womenswear and menswear showcases with London Fashion Week and London Fashion Week Men’s promoting the best of British design to an international audience.

The membership comes after a successful couple of years for the BA (Hons) Fashion Design students who, despite the coronavirus pandemic, showcased at Graduate Fashion Week, took part in Graduation Fashion Foundation Showcase, as well as positively contributing to the Covid-19 emergency by manufacturing personal protective equipment for key workers out of recycled hospital curtains. In 2021, four students also received a £600 bursary from UKFT and Drapers to support travel and accommodation while completing prestigious placements while Fashion Lecturer Laura Jones opened Makers Boutique and Workshops, combining her passions of teaching, combating fast fashion and making beautiful products.