Future Fashion Designer Gaining Amazing Experience at Matalan

Our new T Level Textile & Fashion Maker course has already proved to be an invaluable experience for student Jess Hill.

The former Shevington High School pupil chose the new course in September after gaining excellent GCSE grades and wanted to pursue her passion for design.

With the help of the college, she secured a fantastic industry placement at the headquarters of Matalan in Knowsley.

“I’m really enjoying it and it’s nice to be gaining experience in the environment I want to work in in the future,” said Jess.

“You get to see every side of it from the business side to the design side too. It’s helping me to prepare for university too as I’m getting more knowledge of every element of the fashion industry and it will be great to add to my personal statement.”

The 17-year-old has already been exposed to the design world in different clothing sections from homeware to ladieswear and will have the opportunity to try out children’s and menswear before her placement ends.

Working alongside experienced designers who act as her mentors, Jess has really fitted into the team. She has already had a rich learning experience that not many people at her age get to have. From working on pantones, trend boards and conducting market research, she’s even had the opportunity to sit in selection meetings, were her team has presented collections to buyers and executives.

Jess added: “It’s been amazing to gain the knowledge of the industry and to see what goes on behind the scenes.”

Lindsay Cooke, Design Manager and Helen Wood, Senior Designer (Homewear) were both impressed with how well Jess had settled in so quickly.

Helen said: “Jess has settled in straight away and the team gelled with her. She’s become more confident, and she wasn’t fazed when she switched departments either.

“It’s a really good opportunity for Jess. There might be a project in a few weeks that Jess can use her designs to include in her portfolio which would make a huge difference in making her stand out when applying for university.”

Lindsay added: “We’d never heard of T Levels before but after speaking to the course leaders we thought it would be a great opportunity. We do lots of placements with university students too. 

“We’d have loved to have done a T Level when we were students (now knowing what it’s about) as it opens up a lot of avenues in terms of the exposure and references you can gain.”