Creative Arts students from Southwark College took part in a sustainable fashion project hosted by London Knitwear brand AGR in partnership with Nike. The community event, entitled A Day @ AGR HQ: CUSTOMISE > COLLABORATE > CURATE > CAPTURE, allowed young people to work with leaders, designers and creatives in the fashion industry.
As part of the project, a series of workshops were hosted on the day where participants customised Nike trainers and jerseys and curated photoshoots of their creations with Instax polaroid cameras provided by Fujifilm.
Students worked closely with AGR Creative Director and Knit Wizard Alicia Robinson, stylist Jake Hunte, and photographer William Spooner to capture and share their experiences. They also enjoyed refreshments and live music performed by DJ CHEY SELECTA throughout the event.
Alicia Robinson, AGR Knit Creative Director, said: "We set up our workshops at the AGR studio to open our space to local students and young people in our community. It's important for designers to help inspire people and share knowledge, tips, and tricks, especially with young people as they think about their future.
“We had a group of 13 students arrive for the event, and their personalities shone through in all the creative tasks. It was amazing to see everyone come out of their shells and get stuck into customising their trainers and t-shirts. Each student placed their stamp on their product, and it was great seeing them working collaboratively, taking different approaches and learning new techniques, including spray painting, gemming, and other customising/up-cycling tricks.”
Carina Johnson, Art and Design student at Southwark College, said: "The AGR Knit community event was a lot of fun. We had the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals who take a different approach to the fashion industry. We learnt new skills from their expertise through collaboration and practical activities.
“The workshops allowed us to develop our creativity as aspiring designers and gave us a lot of insight into the sector. I’m sure the skills we learnt will help us in our studies and future careers. I am excited to develop them further to achieve my goal of building a career in the fashion and design industries".
Do you have a natural flair for creativity and design? Southwark College offers a variety of Creative Arts courses, including Music, Drama, Media, Fashion, Games Design, and Art and Design. For more information, visit southwark.ac.uk/creative arts.
