Textiles students had the wonderful opportunity to take part in a workshop lead by Davinder Madaher, a print designer/consultant/lecturer with over 25 years experience in the design industry. Davinder has worked for brands such as The Gap, Debenhams, Tesco and Cottontraders, and has had designs featured in various magazines such as Marie Claire, Grazia and House & Garden.
Our students, who were joined by a group of pupils from Risedale School, learned from Davinder what it is like to work in the fashion and design industry, as well as how he got to where he is today. They spent much of the day experimenting with watercolours, and drawing the flowers and fruit that were on the tables in front of them. Erin Christie, who is in her second year at QE commented ‘I really enjoyed the day and the atmosphere was great. Davinder’s vibrant personality really made the day. I am looking forward to developing my drawings further using more loose techniques inspired by Davinder’s guidance’.
The day was enjoyed by all, and will be a valuable experience for students who were able to gain many new skills and discover from Davinder, who has first-hand knowledge of the fashion and design world, where they can be applied. Taylor Duffy, second year Textiles student says ‘It was really informative to learn more about the industry and how to make connections through networking. It was insightful to learn how fundamental the drawing process is for a wide variety of careers within the art and design industry. I really enjoyed the day, and the opportunity to work with an industry professional’.
Course Leader for Textiles, Rachel Barras, says about the workshop ‘The work being produced in A Level Textiles is of a high quality and we look to maintain this standard by creating further experiences such as this, allowing students to explore technique and process at a sophisticated level. We are also excited to show our students the exciting career and progression opportunities available to them within the vast art and design industry. We also loved working with students from Risedale School again, they showed a very mature work ethic and some brilliant creativity. We extend our thanks to Davinder for creating such a fantastic experience, and to the staff at Risedale School for continuing to build our relationship with them’.
Learn more about studying Textiles here
