Three university partners have been chosen for the 2022/23 edition of the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Programme, that supports fashion and textile students across the UK with accessing good quality internships.

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) and The Drapers’ Company are working together with three new university partners –The University of Huddersfield, Winchester School of Art and Heriot-Watt University— on the 2022/23 edition of the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Programme. Each academic year, 10 students from university partners get to experience a 12-week internship with a UK fashion and textile business through the programme.

Created to enable students to take up internship opportunities they may otherwise struggle to afford, the bursary provides financial support from The Drapers’ Company. In addition, UKFT offers mentoring, guidance and networking opportunities for each student to ensure they can experience their internship to the fullest.

Elliot Barlow, Manufacturing and Education Consultant at UKFT, said: 

“Internships can be a good way to get first-hand industry experience and a route into a career in fashion and textiles, but often these are unpaid or offer low wages, which can exclude a lot of talented creative people as they are starting out. This programme aims to open up these opportunities to a wider pool of people and make sure that the experiences are as valuable as can be.”

 

Melissa Haram, intern at Skopos Fabric through the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Scheme 2021/22.

Placements for the academic year 2022/23

The ten student placements for the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Programme 2022/23 are:

UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD (3 places)

• Ellen Raine (Ba Costume with Textiles) will undertake an internship at the Leicester Theatre Group.
• Lucy Noone (Ba Textiles) will undertake an internship at Skopos Fabric.
• Fionn Stones Amygdalitsis (Ba Costume with Textiles) will undertake an internship at Opera North.

WINCHESTER SCHOOL OF ART (2 places)

• Emma Bailey (Ba Textile Design) will undertake an internship at Samson Saboye.
• Takara Thai Dimmick (Ba Fashion Design in Womenswear) will undertake an internship at Emilia Wickstead.

HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY (5 places)

• Sadie Worall (Ba Design for Textiles) will undertake internships at Birkhill House, Coorie Creative and Redress Scotland.
• Eilidh Cassidy (Ba Design for Textiles) will undertake internships at Vevar Scotland and Coorie Creative.
• Lois Cowie (Ba Design for Textiles) will undertake internships at Johnstons of Elgin and Woven in the Bone.
• Emma Gall (Ba Textile Design) will undertake an internship at Wallace Sewell.
• Lucy Power (Ba Fashion) will undertake an internship at Lyle & Scott.

Bridget Bimha, intern at British Alpaca Fashion via the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Programme 2020/21.

Student testimonials

Bridget Bimha, part of the 2020/21 cohort, undertook an internship at The British Alpaca Fashion Company as a third-year BA Fashion Design student at Plymouth College of Art. She said:

“Anila and her team at The British Alpaca Fashion Company are amazing, teaching me so much and sharing information without any limits.” Read more here.

Melissa Haram, who undertook an internship at the textile company Skopos Fabric through the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Programme 2021/22 as a 2nd Year BA/BSC Textile Practice student at the University of Huddersfield, said:

“Gaining this experience in the industry has taught me many new skills and increased my knowledge in the field of textiles but has also confirmed that textile design is the industry I want to work in. I am very grateful for the opportunity Skopos has given me and the support UKFT has provided me with.” Read more here.

 

Ellie Jones took on an internship at Victoria as a 2nd Year BA Fashion Knitwear Design student at Nottingham Trent University, as part of the 2021/22 edition of the Bursary Programme. She said:

“I am having the best time, I am so grateful for the opportunity and it is teaching me so many different skills which I can transfer into my final year and career, but I think mostly soaking up the environment of working in a creative industry has been such a great learning experience.” Read more here.

Want to know more about the Drapers x UKFT Bursary Programme? Click on the link below:

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