Why I Chose to Study Fashion Design at Falmouth University

This article was written by Fashion Design BA(Hons) student Lillian.

When I started looking into my choices after finishing school, I was overwhelmed by all my options. I eventually decided to apply for university, but was unsure about whether I would defer for a year or go straight to uni.

After getting my offers in, I put Falmouth as my insurance choice, but was still curious about it as an option. I booked a bespoke campus tour; this is a great chance to see the campus, as well as the facilities for your course of interest. This was my first time visiting Falmouth and seeing it in person changed everything for me! It was amazing to explore campus. There were so many beautiful outdoor spaces and, even in June with very few students around, I felt such a sense of community. I was also completely enamored with the fashion facilities. It felt so surreal seeing a real fashion design studio with all its open-spaces and industrial machinery that I could not wait to use!

Since the start of this year, I’ve found that my course has helped me branch out and meet people through all of the collaboration opportunities. A few months ago, I had the chance to model a look designed by a third year Fashion Design student, for a photoshoot she was working on. This was a great experience and getting to work with a third year on my course gave me a chance to chat with her and gain some insight into how my third year might look, as well as ask any questions I had. Some things we chatted about were finding off-campus housing and the pros and cons of taking a year out. I also completed a module in my first term that had all of the first year students in the Fashion & Textiles Institute working together. Having this module at the start of uni was a great way to make friends from different fashion-related courses, who weren’t from my specific course, but still had similar interests.

Community is such an important part of university. For me, coming to uni was about more than getting a degree (although still very important!), it was opportunity to branch out. It’s a time to meet new people and grow as a person yourself. I always describe Falmouth as a creative hub. Of course, it’s an arts-based uni so that’s kind of a given, but I’ve found that there’s a creative energy that extends beyond the uni and into the town itself. When you walk down the high street in Falmouth Town, you’re greeted with local cafes and pubs, colourful boutiques, live music venues and vintage shops. There is Gyllyngvase Beach, a mere 15-minute walk from town, a personal favourite spot of mine. As someone who has been living in London for the past six years, I was very keen to take a break from the city and Falmouth was the perfect Cornish seaside town to do that. I’ve found that the uni does a lot to try and help its students become a part of the surrounding community.