Emily Brookes

Fashion Design - BA (Hons)

Not quite feeling ready to move away after her exams, Emily made the decision to study an Art and Design foundation year, which gave her time to prepare for university and build up a portfolio. Fast-forward to the present and not only has she moved to a brand-new city and made life-long friends, but she now has her work exhibited across Birmingham.

“Moving to Birmingham was a challenge for me, as I had only ever visited the city for the Open Days. It was originally daunting to have to discover a brand-new city and make friends, but now I’m so comfortable around the city and have made some amazing friends from different courses. Becoming a student ambassador and joining societies really helped me to meet new people and make friends. As well as joining in with other activities set up by my course leaders, like an end-of-project pub lunch! 

The best part of my first year studying Fashion Design has been making my first-ever garment. I created a shirt, and later had it photographed as part of a shoot. This was a highlight as it was the first time I’d seen one of my designs brought to life. It was really rewarding to see the new skills I had learned in pattern drafting and sewing being put to use.

After visiting the Botanical Gardens, I was inspired by the diversity of flowers – the different shapes, colours, and textures; I felt motivated to create a collection for one of my modules, inspired by floral, organic, hand-drawn shapes in playful colours.

Following the theme of the outdoors, I had the idea to design outfits for festivalgoers, whether it be for a music festival or a flower festival. This influenced my collection to be a mixture of boho and hippie styles, with dramatic and fun silhouettes. I designed a colourful and feminine collection around my print, with wellie boots and flower crowns to match! If I had continued to make my designs, I can envision them being showcased in the Gardens with all the flowers surrounding them in full bloom.

I didn’t expect to be involved in publicly sharing my work in my first year and am looking forward to future opportunities to do this. It’s exciting to know my work is reaching a wider audience and to also be able to celebrate my hard work from this past year. I would love to continue designing and working for an independent slow fashion brand in the future and eventually start my own business. But right now, I’m trying to explore and enjoy all the different pathways within fashion to see what I like best. 

Since becoming a BCU student I feel I have become more self-confident. Moving away to a new city has meant I’ve had to make decisions for myself and put myself out there. I now feel confident in my abilities and expressing myself. I think joining in with events at university, while also doing things alone has helped to change my self-confidence. I also feel I have become more responsible and independent from living in student halls this past year. I’ve loved learning to cook for myself and organising my time and lifestyle, which is something I didn’t really do before I started university. 

I AM BCU means a sense of identity. I feel like I am part of a modern and forward-thinking environment, where I can be myself, while also feeling a sense of belonging and community. I feel proud to tell others where I study and what I study, and to say I’m part of BCU.”