Lauren in Liverpool
When it comes to fashion, forget Emily in Paris, 2022 is all about Lauren in Liverpool.
At the Hugh Baird University Centre, we are exceptionally proud of each of our graduates. Throughout their time on our courses we form close and supportive relationships with our students, guiding them through their studies and helping them to progress on to fulfilling and exciting career paths.
This journey doesn’t end post-graduation; we take great interest in how our graduates progress long after they leave our classrooms. One such graduate is Lauren Ferguson.
Lauren graduated in February 2022 with a First-Class Honours degree in Fashion and Textiles. Throughout the course Lauren remained a committed and talented student, achieving high marks across all her work. Even with the stress of remote learning throughout the pandemic, Lauren remained resilient and focused on her dreams.
When asked about her time on the course, Lauren said:
I liked the freedom of exploring different avenues of fashion, from the illustrative side to pattern-cutting and graphics.
Since graduating, Lauren has been running a successful online fashion brand: Lauren Maria Designs and has amassed a following of over 20,000 people across the country. Lauren is particularly popular in the Liverpool region, itself the self-proclaimed fashion capital of the UK.
Lauren’s designs are fresh, bold, and exciting. When asked what transferable skills she learned on the course that now serve her in her business she said:
Definitely graphics. I was always really into my graphics and painting from a young age, so being able to experiment with my creativity using the likes of a Wacom tablet, Adobe and Procreate was helpful. I still use all of these packages when designing my collections and creating fabric designs.
Starting at the University Centre wasn’t initially a part of Lauren’s original plan. She had set up her business and was planning on going to night school to learn the basics of pattern cutting and design. However, after applying on a whim, she was accepted on the course at the Hugh Baird University Centre just a week before the start date. Lauren says it was the best decision she made.
Lauren loves creating pieces for celebrity stylists and explained that she has had some amazing opportunities; a bridal piece she made for Vigour Magazine was a particular highlight:
Every design I envision is different, and depends not only on the fashion trends at the time, but also my emotions and what I want to portray.
When asked about the future of Lauren Maria Designs, Lauren said:
I tend to give myself short-term goals rather than long-term as I think they are more realistic and achievable. In the next two years I want to have doubled my customer base and have a small team working with me to create beautiful pieces.
If I were to give advice to any prospective students who were thinking about a career in fashion and joining Hugh Baird University Centre I would say: be persistent, always be true to your style and what makes your work special and individual to you and always take the risk; you’ll regret it if you don’t!
We look forward to following Lauren’s onward career journey and feel sure we will see her designs on the catwalks of the world in the coming years. When it comes to fashion, forget Emily in Paris, 2022 is all about Lauren in Liverpool.
Interested in becoming the next big thing in fashion? Find out more about our Fashion degree-level courses here: www.hughbaird.ac.uk/subject-area/creative-industries.
