Fiza is a Second Year Degree Student, studying the BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery.

“I grew up watching my uncles sell Asian bridalwear – they owned the shop and even had a chance to go to Paris Fashion Week a few times.  Unfortunately, I was too young at the time to understand what they really did, and now thinking back, I didn’t realise the hardwork and effort that goes into hand embroidery!

Before coming to the RSN, I studied Fine Arts, practising painting, colouring and mixed media skills.  During the course, I was more drawn to the Textiles Art section, as it allowed me to incorporate the skills and techniques I developed to my hand embroidery techniques.  I found my passion for hand embroidery in my two years in college and wanted to go down this route whilst developing my skills, as previously I was teaching myself the different techniques.

When I discovered the RSN’s Degree in Hand Embroidery, I was surprised to find a course that fitted so well with what I wanted. It was very specific and unique. I was blown away by the work produced by previous RSN students and wanted to be part of the incredibly talented team.

Currently, I’m working on the Bradford Textiles Society competition.  This has allowed me to practise designing and combining two of my favourite hand embroidery skills – Silk Shading and Goldwork.   Working from my summer project book, ‘Things Come Apart’, I focused on the deconstruction of flowers and plants. This allowed me to develop a few designs which will look amazing on high-end jackets.  Playing around with different tones of the same colour palette, and different ways of incorporating the same techniques to create marks, has allowed me to make a few samples. These samples have been edited through photoshop and added to my fashion illustrations which will be presented on boards.  Moreover, Goldwork with Silk Shading gives the jacket a very traditional, yet contemporary feel, allowing me to focus on my signature style for the future.

Silk Shading is very aesthetically appealing and requires you to study the different directions you will be stitching, moreover, the variety of colours used and the tonal aspect of the piece when creating the plan appeal to me. Once the plan is created it’s very difficult to go wrong and you can just carry on with stitching.  Goldwork on the other hand is a very traditional technique. It’s a delicate technique that forces care and patience when performing as there is no technique like it, however, difficulty aside. This technique is very beautiful and when it is seen in a traditional or contemporary piece, it can only look that much better, also its shiny!

The Degree Course is a great opportunity for those who are thinking of working in the fashion industry, as it teaches you step by step on creating, designing and sampling, which is all relevant in creating the final piece. The RSN has developed a unique culture of its own, full of loving caring individuals, from each and every student, to the teachers who work diligently to ensure all students are tended to. This is a tough course but the support provided by the students, RSN Tutors and other staff members makes for an enjoyable, yet challenging experience.”

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