Fresh Talent
The Future of Fashion
March 28, 2012 Nicola  |
21-year-old Ffion Lloyd from Cwmllynfell tells The Fresh Outlook how she is turning her love for fashion into a career.
Whether it is our ambition to follow trends or our desperate battle with our own questionable fashion sense, fashion plays a big part of all our lives. Ffion Lloyd from Cwmllynfell, South Wales, is determined to turn her love of fashion - shoes in particular - into a successful career, and she is well on her way to doing so. This is Ffion’s story.
When I was growing up there were lots of children who wanted to become fashion designers as we all became familiar with the relationship between celebrity culture and fashion and became more aware of trends and labels. I’ve always been inspired by colours and textures and as I got older these were key elements I looked for in clothing and design. I’ve always enjoyed drawing too and my grandfather encouraged me to pursue this from a young age.
Shoes were important to me from a young age - from the first time I saw the classic fairytale Cinderella to encountering shoe addict Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City.The designs and styles available are often expertly sculpted and in an assortment of colours and materials. I feel that women are often a lot braver when trying on some ostentatious heels rather than a flamboyant dress, and the shoe becomes a wearable piece of art, an investment. It’s always really exciting to see flat drawings transform into 3D outcomes, and it’s always very satisfying to see the shoes being worn.
I went on to study a foundation degree in art and design, achieving a distinction, which provided the essentail grounding to commence my footwear degree. I now study a footwear course at the London College of Fashion. The course runs closely with the accessories and jewellery division and offers early networking opportunities with other design courses. We are encouraged to experiment with new and innovative materials and design concepts and to source inspiration for our collections from unusual places. Each unit of the footwear course has allowed me to develop my own design style and engage with various brand identities and target consumers at an in-depth level.
The fashion industry is constantly striving to develop and nourish new trends and seasons are predicted and designed at least a year in advance, and it can be quite difficult to anticipate, so the timescale of manufacture is crucial in order to get the new products to the consumers at the correct time. It is extremely important to fully understand the target customers by analysing their needs and desires to create a viable range of products, the price points of which are set accordingly.
My long term goal is to establish a namesake luxury label focusing on footwear and accessories. I have another two years of university study to complete and I am hoping to work for other companies to gain experience which will help me launch my own brand.
Being in London is crucial to studying fashion and design due to the high proportion of studios and boutiques where it is possible to intern to learn new skills and gather contacts which will help in networking later on. I’ve had exciting opportunities to meet Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and members of the British Fashion Council, as well as the head footwear and accessories designers for Topshop, and my course mates and I are currently working on a live industry project with Tommy Hilfiger.
Interviewed by Emily Slee
[Image courtesy of Ffion Lloyd]
